Elders' Calm
by hermin22
Summary: Minerva's infamous Scottish ire leads her back to someone of the past.
1. Chapter 1

It was just too much. She couldn't go on like that anymore. Not caring for the crying baby in the pram, she put her head into her hands and wept.

xxx

Minerva McGonagall was furious. Why was it that every Minister of Magic became difficult after a few years? Not wanting to Apparate while she was so angry, she decided to walk a few steps along the small river. It was a beautiful day and she fully intended to enjoy it. Now, after two years of grueling work, Hogwarts was finally rebuilt. The children were back at school for a year already, but so many things still had to be done during that year. It seemed that after a year of mourning and another of trying to get back to normal, everything was running smoothly again, or as smoothly as possible. Feeling calmer with every step, she promised herself to avoid the Ministry until the beginning of term at all costs. It was her first real holiday as a Headmistress after all.

Just when she was ready to Apparate, she heard the cries of a baby. Turning her head towards the sound, she spotted a young woman on a bench. The pram with the wailing child stood beside her, but she didn't move or talk to stop the sound. Minerva didn't know why she couldn't just leave, but something told her that she had to have a closer look. With an annoyed huff she walked over to the still unmoving woman.

"Don't you want to look after your child?" She asked sternly.

The young woman looked up and Minerva felt her heart stop for a second. Despite the redness of the eyes, Minerva was sure she would have recognized them everywhere. "Miss Granger."

"Professor McGonagall," Hermione greeted, clearly embarrassed. They had left the titles behind since the war ended two years ago, but at the moment they served as an invisible shield between them.

The baby was still crying and brought Minerva out of her stupor. "Hermione, is everything all right?" She walked closer to the bench and looked into the pram. "Is that Lillian?" She asked. She had been invited to dinner with the Weasleys to celebrate the birth of Lillian, Hermione's and Ron's first child, but she hadn't gone. There was just too much work at Hogwarts.

Hermione nodded and Minerva started to rock the pram, hoping the screams would stop. The little one clearly had quite a voice. "Hermione, what happened?"

"I can't do that anymore," the young woman whispered. New tears started streaming down her face. "I'm a complete failure."

"Nonsense, Hermione," Minerva rebuked sternly. "You've never been a failure. Now tell me what is wrong," she added in a gentler tone and sat beside her former charge, putting a hand on her back, while still rocking the pram.

Hermione shook her head. "I can't do that anymore. She won't stop crying. She is fed and clean, but she just won't stop crying. I tried everything! I haven't slept for almost a week and I just can't… I don't know what to do," Hermione uttered, and sobbed uncontrollably.

To say that Minerva was shocked would be the understatement of the century. Where the hell was Ronald? His wife was going to pieces and he was nowhere to be seen.

"Dear, dear," the elder woman soothed, drawing the young mother into her arms, for a moment ignoring the still crying baby. "All will be well," she soothed, rubbing slow circles on Hermione's back. "Where is Ronald?" She asked, but hearing Hermione's sobbing increase, she wished she hadn't. "It's all right, Hermione. I'm going to take Lillian for a moment. Is that all right with you?"

Feeling a nod against her shoulder, she slowly detangled herself from the still weeping woman and reached into the pram, gently lifting the baby.

"Hello, little one," she cooed as she carefully held the small body with one arm and tenderly stroked the little head. And then, all of a sudden, Lillian stopped crying and looked up with intelligent brown eyes that reminded Minerva so much of Hermione's.

The silence was so new to Hermione's ears that she looked at her former professor in wonder. "How did you do that?" she whispered, staring at her silent and absolutely content looking daughter.

Minerva slowly handed Hermione her daughter. "Here, take her." It made her sad to see that the young witch seemed almost hesitant to hold her own child. She didn't know what was wrong and if she could help at all, but she was willing to try. Her relationship with Hermione had always been special . They hadn't had much contact after the battle, but it pained her to see her not so secret favorite former cub like that. She had been so busy rebuilding Hogwarts and Hermione… well, she was Ronald's wife and mother of a beautiful daughter. They both hadn't taken much time for social calls.

She didn't know if she could help much, but there was one thing that she could do and that couldn't wait. Hermione needed to sleep before she broke down completely.

"Come with me, Hermione." The tone of her voice didn't leave any room for discussions and Hermione didn't try.

Seeing her former charge nodding, she reached for the pram and put a hand on Hermione's shoulder. A moment later they arrived at a vast area, protected by unseen magical walls: McGonagall manor.

"Welcome at my family home," Minerva stated, already walking towards the huge door. The estate looked almost like a little castle with its small towers, but despite its size it seemed to melt into the Scottish landscape perfectly. Large, old trees that probably had seen a lot of life, love and loss of the McGonagall dynasty dominated the garden to the left side of the manor, accompanied by an equally large lake. The garden on the left side of the manor looked like one of the show gardens in some posh garden magazine with breathtakingly beautiful flowers, skillfully arranged to show off each blossom in the best possible way.

Noticing her young charge's observations, a little smile graced the older woman's features. "Do come in, Hermione – preferably before you faint from exhaustion," she invited. "I will show you the gardens later."

Hermione blinked up at her, suddenly remembering why she was here in the first place. She really had been enough of a bother already. "Minerva, I…"

The elder witch, however, shook her head, not wanting to hear Hermione's apologizes. "You need to sleep, Hermione. Dilly will show you to the guest room and I'll watch Lillian."

Upon hearing her name, the little House Elf appeared in front of them. "Yes, Minerva?" Oh, we have guests!" She was obviously excited and Hermione wondered if it was so rare that Minerva had visitors in her home.

"Hello, my dear. Yes, we have guests. This is Hermione and the little one is Lillian. Would you mind showing Hermione to the guest room?" Minerva was more than aware that Dilly was over the moon at the prospect of having guests. She always complained that the house was too quiet.

"Of course, Minerva. It is my pleasure!" The small face beamed with joy.

Even Hermione had to smile at Dilly's enthusiasm. "Hello, Dilly," she greeted. "It is nice to meet you." Then she turned to Minerva. "While I thank you very much for your kindness, I can't possibly…"

As if on cue, Lillian started crying again.

Minerva reached into the pram and lifted the screaming child into her arms and murmured a few soft words of comfort into the infant's ear. Just a little while later, the cries abated.

"Please, Hermione. I can't even remember the last time I had the chance to look after a child that small." Minerva knew she wasn't playing fair, but at least she didn't lie. She would enjoy looking after Lillian.

Giving in to her fate, Hermione nodded. "All right," she accepted and tenderly stroked her daughter's soft hair. "Thank you, Minerva."

"You are more than welcome, dear," she assured the young mother. "Oh, do you breastfeed her?"

Hermione sadly shook her head and for a moment Minerva thought she looked embarrassed. "No. They said I don't have enough milk. Great mother, am I not? I can't even feed my own child." The bitterness of her voice seemed to come directly from her heart.

Shifting Lillian a little, Minerva freed one hand and comfortingly squeezed Hermione's arm. "We will talk about all that later, my girl. Now you go up and sleep. Do you have any bottles for Lilly in case she gets hungry?"

"Yes, of course." Hermione reached for the bag that was attached to the pram and handed it to Minerva. "Here. You just need to warm them for half a minute before giving them to her."

The elder witch took a long look at the baby in her arms and a tender expression graced her features. "I will. Now off you go," she shooed. " Oh… would you mind if I had Poppy in to have a look at both you and Lilly?"

Hermione raised her eyebrows in question, but the truth was that she felt too tired to care. "We are both healthy," she offered halfheartedly.

Minerva nodded in understanding, but she still wanted to be absolutely sure the two girls were perfectly healthy. Something was awfully wrong and until she didn't know what, she had to eliminate every other reason that might have caused this obvious mess. "I'm sure, but it would make me happy. Better safe than sorry, aye?"

Hermione just shrugged. There was no harm in getting one's health checked, so there was no reason to refuse Minerva's request. "I suppose so. I won't mind."

"Thank you, darling." She watched Hermione follow Dilly upstairs to the guest room, then looked at the sleeping child in her arms. "Come on, my little darling. Let's sit outside while your mummy rests a little and later I'll introduce you to aunt Poppy."

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><p><em>I hope you enjoyed the first chapter of my new story! I am very sorry, but ff seems to have problems with the review replies,so I can't thank you personally for your reviews.<em>


	2. Chapter 2

"How is she?" Minerva asked, gently rocking the pram with the sleeping baby back and forth. She was still sitting outside on the large wooden terrace in a comfortable looking chair.

"She is exhausted beyond measure, Minerva," Poppy answered, stepping out on the terrace. "She didn't even stir when I examined her. Minerva, what is the meaning of this?"

Poppy had been surprised when she got Minerva's owl. They were colleagues, but never before had she been asked to come to McGonagall manor. It had been even more of a surprise to find the esteemed Professor cradling a baby in her arms, while Hermione Weasley was sleeping upstairs.

"I am not sure, Poppy. I just had a row with Kingsley concerning the funds and I thought it to be smarter not to Apparate in my ire, so I chose to walk a bit until I thought that I could make it here without getting Splinched."

Poppy unconsciously smiled at the word 'ire'. Oh, she had witnessed the Headmistress's famous Scottish ire and had been more than grateful each time she was not on the receiving end. Sadly, she had had to live through that a few times when it had come to matters of Minerva's health. Recalling the memories of their last encounter after the incident with Dolores Umbridge she had to agree with Minerva that taking a walk had probably been a good choice.

"I heard the sound of a baby crying…" Minerva didn't elucidate any further. "She was on the brink of a breakdown, so I took her with me." Minerva gestured to the chair beside her. "Please have a seat."

Poppy sat down and gratefully accepted the tea, Dilly at once offered, popping up beside her chair with a tray not even half a second after she had sat. Poppy smiled at the House Elf, who bowed at her in return before disappearing again. "That was very kind of you and high time, too. It doesn't seem like Hermione's been getting more than two or three hours of sleep a night. Most everyone would have collapsed after a couple of days already, and she's been going on for much longer than I would dare to estimate. She hasn't been eating regularly either, and it doesn't look like she has been getting enough fluids. She is otherwise healthy, but desperately in need of some rest. A normal intake of food and fluids would help, too." Her voice sounded as clinical as it always did when she discussed a patient, but as her eyes gazed at the pram beside Minerva, her voice was filled with the empathy she so often lacked. "I don't understand that. Where is Ronald?"

Minerva sighed and reached for her own cup. "I haven't had the chance to talk to Hermione yet. She was too exhausted, so I sent her up to sleep."

Poppy looked thoughtful for a moment. She didn't know why Hermione was currently sleeping in Minerva's manor, obviously in need of help, but she was Ronald's wife after all. He would want to know where she and the baby were. "Should we inform him?"

"No, not before I had the chance to talk with Hermione," Minerva replied, shaking her head. A whimper caught her attention and she gently lifted the small baby into her arms. "Sush, my darling." She held Lilly close against her chest for a moment, before she soothingly cradled her in her arms. "That's your aunt Poppy over there. She will be the one to poke you with needles and all the other awful things Healers use when you're ill," she murmured and glanced at Poppy to see what kind of reaction she could provoke.

Poppy tried to look as scandalized as possible. "You mean the one who will make you better when you fall ill!"Her words were directed at the cheekily grinning Minerva. It was no secret that there were few things the esteemed Headmistress loathed more than being forced to be treated by a Healer, no matter how ill she was or how good the Healers were.

A soft sound from the baby brought her attention back to more important things. "Ohh, hello, young lady," Poppy cooed. She leaned over and stroked the fluffy hair on the little head with a silly smile that only babies can bring forward in people.

"Say hello, to Aunt Poppy. My name is Lillian." Minerva took Lilly's tiny hand and waved at Poppy. If any pupil had been around to see that, they would surely have thought she'd finally lost it.

The mediwitch, who was busy pulling funny faces for Lilly, dreamily said, "She is so cute."

"That she is," Minerva agreed wholeheartedly. "Would you have a look at her? I'd like to see if she is really well."

The mediwitch looked up in alarm. "Why?" She asked, already scanning the baby for possible injuries. Finding nothing out of the ordinary at first sight, she said, "She seems perfectly healthy to me."

Minerva shifted Lilly in her arms, earning a sound of protest from her as she was obviously about to fall sleep again. "Yes, but she cries a lot."

Poppy drew her wand and absentmindedly muttered a few spells. "She is a perfectly healthy little girl. You said she cries often?"

"Yes, that's right," Minerva confirmed. It was a good decision to have Poppy look at Hermione and Lilly. She felt calmer already, knowing that the two of them were healthy, with the exception of a few little matters she would be able to handle, like Hermione's lack of sleep, and lack of food and fluids.

"She's not crying now. When does she cry most often, or is there no pattern?" Poppy interrupted her musings and muttered another spell that lead her to the same conclusion. Lily was perfectly healthy.

She took a moment to remember her meeting with the young mother and the arrival at the manor before she answered. "Mostly when Hermione has her. She calms down rather quickly when I hold her, but Hermione said she screams almost all the time when she is with her. That is why Hermione hasn't slept much."

"That doesn't surprise me," Poppy said knowingly. Before she stated at Hogwarts she had worked at St. Mungo's in many different departments. " Babies are very sensitive and pick up their parent's moods. When the mother is stressed, it is very difficult for her to calm the baby. The child won't stop crying, the mother gets more stressed… That is the very reason Lilly is much calmer when you've got her." She smiled at the sleeping baby in the esteemed Headmistress's arms. It was such an adoring scene and she briefly wondered why Minerva had never had children of her own. She certainly had a way with them, ― well, at least with this one. Then again, she had a way with Lilly's mother as well. "You think that Lilly will stop crying as much when Hermione is more relaxed?"

"Yes, I am quite sure. That is one of the reasons she is sleeping so adoringly in your arms." For a moment she thought there was a faint blush on the normally so stern woman, but she wasn't sure, so she continued explaining. "Every parent knows the situations when one is on a tight schedule and needs the baby to sleep as soon as possible. It almost always fails."

Xxx

"Should I wake our guest for dinner?" Dilly asked after having set the table on the terrace. Minerva, who had been inside to change Lilly's diapers after having fed her some of the bottles Poppy had left behind, looked thoughtful for a moment. As much as she wanted to let Hermione sleep, she needed to talk with her. She carefully placed the sleeping baby into the cradle Dilly had brought from the attic at her bidding.

"Thank you, Dilly. I'll go and wake her," Minerva replied, already heading towards the bedroom on the first floor. She quietly peeked into the room and found Hermione soundly asleep beneath the covers. She looked peaceful and carefree in her sleep and Minerva allowed herself a tender smile at the sight. She remembered only too well the restless nights, plagued with nightmares, after the war had ended. Hermione had moved in with the Weasleys right after the war, but Molly had made sure to inform Minerva of everything important going on under her roof. Molly knew that Minerva cared a great deal, even when she wasn't able to show her concern openly.

Shaking her head to get rid of the unpleasant memories of the aftermath of the war, Minerva stepped further into the room until she was standing beside the bed. "Hermione," she called softly. "It's time to wake up."

The young woman didn't even stir, so Minerva leant down and placed a gentle hand on Hermione's arm. She was sleeping on her stomach, with one leg and arm bent. The position looked highly uncomfortable, but it obviously worked so well for Hermione that she still didn't show any sign of waking up. Sighing, Minerva knelt down and started rubbing Hermione's arm. "Hermione, dear, wake up now. Dinner is ready."

The young witch slowly opened her eyes at last. She was still very tired, but at the same time felt better than she had in weeks. Finding her old professor kneeling in front of her, a deep blush formed on her cheeks. "Oh Merlin, I'm so sorry, Minerva."

"Oh stop apologizing every time we talk. You are more than welcome here and if I'd think of you as in intrusion you wouldn't be here." She smiled gently at the insecure woman in bed to indicate that there were no hard feelings and gently patted Hermione's red cheek a couple of times. "Come now, I'm getting hungry, and Dilly made lasagna for dinner."

Hermione swallowed her embarrassment and sat up. It was no use discussing something with Minerva McGonagall when she had set her mind on something and Hermione, along with every other pupil who had had the pleasure of being taught by the skillful witch, knew it.

The older woman pushed herself up from her position on the floor, but her right knee had other ideas. She winced and held her hand out for Hermione to take. "Give me a hand, would you? These rotten bones have a mind on their own."

Hermione reacted quickly, and helped Minerva up, absentmindedly rubbing her back until the lines of pain left the familiar face. "Better?" She asked concerned. Hermione knew that Minerva had had problems with her knee and hip after having been injured twice on both places. The wounds from her encounter with Delores Umbridge in fifth year hadn't been completely healed yet when the last battle had already inflicted more injuries.

"Yes, I'm fine," Minerva reassured the worried looking girl. Girl. She inwardly snorted at her thoughts. Hermione was far from being a girl anymore. She had grown into a stunning young woman. Smiling, Minerva laid her hand on Hermione's forearm. "Let's go now before either of us die of starvation."

* * *

><p><em>Thank you to all the lovely people who left a review. As a thank you, you got this chapter so soon (very out of character for me lol). You also have to thank my brilliant beta Bola, because she made this chapter worth reading! The next few weeks I won't have much time to write, as my friend from the USA is here for a visit, but I'll try not to take too long to update...<em>


	3. Chapter 3

They slowly made their way through the hallway of the first floor. Hermione let Minerva set the pace as she was obviously in some kind of discomfort after having knelt on the floor. The young woman noticed the well concealed limping, but chose not to comment for now. Walking down the stairs, Hermione took the time to look around the grand building. It seemed very old with its stone walls, the huge gothic windows allowing the evening sun to illuminate the paintings that lined the wall. Most of the people in the frames smiled politely, if not a little surprised, whereas some of them frowned and didn't look too pleased with her presence.

Seeing how Minerva tightly grabbed the handrail on the left side of the stairs, from where one could oversee the hall of the ground floor, Hermione had half a mind of offering her arm to the elder witch, but thought better of it after seeing that typical stoic ‚ 'don't you dare notice that I'm a human as well'-face Minerva had carried around Hogwarts.

They walked across the hall and stepped out onto the terrace. Hermione first glanced into the pram to see how her daughter was. She reached out to stroke the peacefully sleeping child's head and her heart swelled with love for the small creature.

„She is fed, clean and happy. She fell asleep half an hour ago," Minerva explained, glancing into the pram over Hermione's shoulder.

„Thank you, Minerva. You've been so nice to us today." Hermione smiled gratefully if not a little embarrassed. The one person Hermione would have wanted to make proud of her found her at her weakest moment.

„Don't mention it. Come and sit down before it gets cold." Minerva mentioned to the chair opposite the table.

"It smells wonderful, but it really wasn't necessary to invite us to dinner. You've done more than enough already."

"It is my pleasure to have you, Hermione. Tuck in. Dilly always cooks as if all the painting would eat as well. Would you like some wine?" She reached for the bottle of red wine standing on the table and poured both of them a glass after Hermione had nodded her consent.

Minerva raised her glass to meet Hermione's. "To friends."

"To friends," Hermione said, but the toast sounded more like a question than an agreement.

The notion wasn't lost on the observant Headmistress. "I hope so, Hermione. I don't invite anyone but my closest friends into my home."

Hermione smiled shyly at the kind words and immediately thought of how surprised Dilly had been when she found out they had a visitor. It was obviously a rare occasion that Minerva invited anyone into her home. "To friends," Hermione repeated, this time with a conviction that earned a smile from her mentor.

The young woman sipped the liquid and savored the rich taste. It had been a while since she had a glass of wine.

"Good?" Minerva asked amused. Of course Hermione wouldn't have drunk during her pregnancy.

"Very good." Hermione looked around the terrace. The lovely set table, good food, a breathtaking landscape and the company of her long trusted mentor felt like a holiday for Hermione. "I feel like I'm on a vacation."

"I'm glad. Poppy said that's exactly what you need," Minerva said, leading over to the more sensitive conversation of the evening.

"Poppy was here?" Hermione asked. Having finished her meal, she put her knife and fork on her plate and settled back into her chair. It was quite a surprise that Poppy didn't talk with her.

"Yes, she had a look at both of you. You were sleeping so soundly that she didn't wake you up," Minerva explained, topping their glasses off.

She doubted there was anything amiss with her or Lilly's health, but she was still curious. "What did she say?"

"She said Lilly was absolutely fine, but she was concerned about you. You obviously don't eat or sleep enough." Minerva pushed her plate away and looked seriously at the young woman sitting opposite of the table. "Don't you want to tell me what's wrong, Hermione? You are so thoroughly exhausted that it's effecting your health."

Minerva sounded rather worried and Hermione immediately felt a pang of guilt. She had no right to wreck the busy woman's well deserved holiday. "I'm fine, Minerva. Really."

The elder witch smiled sadly. "My dear, we used to talk about almost everything when you were still at Hogwarts."

Hermione heard the regret lacing Minerva's voice and sighed deeply. "I used to tell you everything. You always listened, but never said much about your life actually." She knew she wasn't really fair, but she didn't know if she should burden Minerva with her problems.

"I suppose that's true," Minerva nodded in a resigned way. "My position didn't make it easy for me to share very much."

The young woman raised her eyebrow in a way that indicated that she highly doubted it was just Minerva's position that prevented her from sharing her more personal thoughts.

Reading Hermione's face, Minerva remembered how attentive the young woman was. Very little escaped her sharp mind. "My position and the fact that I'm a very private person," she relented. "I'm not young anymore," Minerva stated quietly. "I've battled and killed people I got to know as innocent children. People I had friendly chats with when they were young turned into Death Eaters. I find it hard to trust pupils or people in general, knowing that there is the possibility that some day they'll turn against me. What if I shared personal information with the wrong pupils? I've seen too much in my life. Don't judge me for being careful."

Hermione averted her eyes. She felt ashamed that she had pushed her mentor, a woman who had always been there for her, into a confession like that. Hermione knew all that already. There was no need to pressure her into saying it aloud. "Please forgive me, Minerva. I'm aware of your reasons and didn't mean to judge you. It's just…" she rubbed her face with her hands. "I don't know."

Minerva watched her former charge for a moment, then stood up and extended her hand to Hermione, pulling her to her feet. "It's all right, my dear. I understand your position and it is understandable that you feel our conversations were somewhat one-sided." She smiled gently at the young woman. "If it is any comfort to you, I always knew that you wouldn't change sides. We were closer than I had been with any other pupil and…" Minerva took a rather deep breath before confessing. "I was afraid to become unprofessional by being more open with you."

Despite her best efforts Hermione's emotions started to show and her eyes became glassy and she lowered her head. "I've missed you," she whispered truthfully.

A gentle hand slowly lifted Hermione's head again, forcing the young woman to look into teal eyes. "I've missed you too, Hermione." The voice sounded so sincere that Hermione had no doubt her mentor meant it and didn't just say that to comfort her. She wiped the single tear that unwillingly escaped her eye, slightly embarrassed that she seemed unable to control her emotions.

Hesitantly at first, Minerva wrapped her arms around Hermione. When she felt the young woman lean into her, she tightened her embrace. It was a strange, but not altogether unpleasant feeling. The elder witch wasn't exactly known for hugging people or being overly warm with them, but from time to time she missed simple human contact.

"Come and take a walk with me," Minerva invited. "I'm not letting you off the hook, Hermione. I can't help you when you don't tell me what's wrong and I would like to help you and Lilly. Very much so."

Hermione gave in and nodded. Of course she would tell Minerva. Wasn't that what she always did?

"Dilly," Minerva called and waited until a *pop* announced her arrival.

"What can I do for you, Minerva?" The small Elf asked dutifully.

"Would you mind watching Lilly for a while? I'd like to take a walk with our guest." The smile on Minerva's face lead Hermione to assume that watching her daughter would please the kind little creature.

"Oh I don't mind at all!" Dilly sounded positively excited. She loved babies and had informed her Mistress more than once that it was a shame she never had any children.

"Thank you very much, Dilly. I really appreciate your help," Hermione said and put her hand on Dilly's shoulder to express her gratitude, causing the creature to bow in response before popping away again.

They slowly started walking in silence through the garden and Hermione was surprised when Minerva linked arms with her. It was odd to be so close to the esteemed Headmistress, but her presence had always given Hermione a feeling of safety and didn't fail its purpose today either. As they strolled along the beds of flowers and with every passing meter Hermione felt her companion lean a little more into her. Minerva's hip was seemingly still bothering her. "Maybe we can sit down," Hermione suggested, pointing at the bench at the end of the little path. She knew her stern mentor would be too proud to inform her about her discomfort.

"Yes, of course." The woman showed no sign that her burning hip had longed for a rest for quite some time now.

Hermione noticed how Minerva unconsciously rubbed the tender flesh, but didn't comment. She would remember to prepare a moist heat pack for the stubborn witch when they were back at the house. She didn't start talking about her situation either; instead she took in her surroundings, wondering if Minerva herself tended to the garden. It was a lovely spot. A little wellspring formed a small creek that melted into the landscape and the bright blossoms of countless flowers started to close in the evening sun.

"It is Dilly's work," Minerva said as if reading the young woman's mind. "I love it, but I don't have enough time and it gives Dilly a hobby when I'm not here."

"It is perfect. She really has a talent for gardening," Hermione praised.

"She has indeed, just as you have a talent for stalling." Smiling clemently, she took the young mother's hand, pulling it into her lap and squeezing it. "Where is Ronald, Hermione?"

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><p><em>I thank all of you who left a review and my lovely beta. I wouldn't write without her help.<em>


	4. Chapter 4

Hermione closed her eyes and squeezed Minerva's hand, drawing strength from the elder woman. "I don't know," Hermione whispered and shook her head in disbelief. "He didn't even tell me."

"Can you tell me what happened?" Minerva asked as calmly as possible.

"We were fighting all the time. All was well in the beginning of our marriage. I mean, it never was mind-blowing, but it was fair. Good and decent, I suppose." She gave a humorless laugh that sent shivers down Minerva's spine. "When I got pregnant, things changed. Ron was happy to become a father, but he was determined that once the child was born I should stay home and stop working. I told him over and over again that I can't do that. I need to work; to do something away from home. I loved my job at the Ministry and I didn't want to lose it. I thought I could go for just four hours a day." She looked at Minerva, desperate for understanding. "I love Lilly with all my heart, but I don't want to stay home all the time. I reasoned that he can watch Lilly while I was working, but he wouldn't listen. 'A mother has to stay home and care for the children', he said." Hermione put her head into her hands and sobbed. "I love Molly, but I am not her. I tried to be for Ron, for Lilly, but I cannot. I felt so alone and exhausted after the birth. Lilly wasn't sleeping well and I was so tired… I asked Ron to get up and tend to her, but he always refused to get up. 'That was my job', he said, and that I was a poor excuse of a mother, because I didn't even want to get up and because I don't even have enough milk to feed her. I…" Minerva's throat felt suddenly very dry. Hermione's story didn't leave the proud woman unmoved and she couldn't bear to see her young friend like that. She moved a little closer and gently placed her hand on the weeping woman's back, waiting for Hermione to continue.

"Two weeks ago I got up and found that in the kitchen." She reached into her pocket and pulled a crinkly piece of paper out and handed it to Minerva, who carefully opened it.

_Hermione, it seems you need to learn this lesson. I signed up for a special Auror training. Will be back in 10 weeks. Ron_

"He won, Minerva," Hermione whispered shakily. " Whatever game he thinks he is playing, he won and he was right. I had to quit my job and I am a poor excuse of a mother. What am I going to do now? What am I going to do?" The last words were almost lost in the violent sobbing that erupted once again. Hermione was crying her soul out. Her whole body was shaking with the force of the sobs and Minerva did the only thing she could and gathered her tightly into her arms. She rocked the girl back and forth, but nothing was able to soothe the terror from inside.

Suddenly Hermione stood up and ran a few meters until she emptied her stomach onto a bed with wildflowers. With a few long strides, Minerva moved to the well and summoned a glass and a washcloth. She filled the glass and wetted the washcloth and walked to stand beside Hermione. "Here, darling," she said and handed both to her broken friend, while reaching around Hermione's waist for support. Waiting patiently until Hermione had cleaned herself up a bit, she muttered a spell and a thick cushion appeared on the bench they had sat on. "Come on, darling. You need to sit for a while," she coaxed and lead the still distraught girl back to the bench. Seeing no reaction she literally had to sit her down and a wave of panic rushed through her body. Hermione had always been so strong and independent that it scared her deeply to be able to move her around like a puppet.

She sighed deeply. There was nothing she could offer Hermione at the moment, or at least, no advice. She needed to think and Hermione needed rest and comfort, so she sat as well and gently pulled the young woman down, encouraging her to rest her head on the green fabric of her lap. Quietness engulfed them as Minerva soothingly stroked Hermione's back and hair that pooled in a sea of brown curls around her. It was a very intimate gesture of comfort and Minerva couldn't think of a single time she had given it to another person. She vaguely remembered her mother to soothe her like that when she was a child, but that was a lifetime ago and the memory had faded so much that she couldn't even tell if it was really true or just a picture her mind fooled her with.

She smiled slightly when Hermione turned around and carefully pressed her face into her stomach, but the smile didn't last long when she felt the dampness of her friend's tears soaking her cloak. What did Ronald think, treating his wife like that? She had by no means been pleased when she got the invitation to the wedding. It wasn't a match made in heaven and she had always suspected it wouldn't last forever, but of course, she had hoped it would make Hermione happy. A pang of guilt filled her heart for not having informed the special girl about her concerns, but in all honesty, what right did she have to do so? An old spinster like herself was not the person to offer advice when it came to matters of the heart and yet, Hermione was lying in her lap now.

Whether Hermione knew it yet or not, her marriage was over. Once she would get over the initial shock, she would realize that they had passed the point of no return, or to be more precise, her husband had done that for them. Hermione was a proud young woman with a mind as sharp as a razor and the heart of a lioness. She wouldn't allow anyone to betray her like Ronald had done, not once, but , recalling the memories of what Hermione had told her about the foolish man's disappearance during their search for the Horcruxes, twice. She felt almost pity for the man who had always followed others in his short life and now that for once he was in control, destroyed what could have been a wonderful future with an extraordinary wife by his side. He was a fool to try and bind Hermione to their home like that. A mind like Hermione's needed to be entertained, – not that Ronald would ever understand the need of intellectual challenges. Maybe Hermione needed a little longer to adjust to her new role as a mother, but how could he take advantage of that? Instead of being supportive and kind he was so busy and consumed by the fame of being part of the Golden Trio that he forgot or ignored the needs of the people around him. He wanted an effigy of his mother to care for him, like Molly had done for all his life. The mere thought was enough to raise Minerva's blood pressure. What did he even know of his mother? It was true; Molly stayed at home to look after the children and the house when Ronald grew up, but did he even know she only stopped working after the twins were born? His foolishness made Minerva laugh just as humorless as Hermione had laughed at the beginning of her story.

"What are you thinking about?" Hermione asked quietly. She had calmed down, but wasn't ready yet to leave the comfort of her mentor's closeness. Everything seemed so peaceful from her position in Minerva's lap, as if everything that had happened had just been a bad dream.

"I was thinking of Ronald's foolishness," Minerva replied honestly. "Are you feeling a little better or should I get you a potion? It would be a sin to waste anymore of Dilly's pasta to the flowers."

Hermione was caught between embarrassment and the urge to laugh. She had missed the dry humor that came forward, always quite unexpected, from the normally so stern witch. She used to giggle every time she had the pleasure to witness Professor McGonagall joking, because very rarely anyone laughed. It wasn't that her comments weren't funny, far from it, but people seemed never quite sure if she made a joke or if she really meant it.

"I think I'm done sharing my food with the wildlife, but thank you." She opted for laughing and going along with Minerva's humor.

"I'm glad to hear it, but please let me know if I can get you anything." She was more serious now and Hermione knew the offer was genuine.

"Thank you so much, Minerva." Hermione didn't know what to say. No words would ever reflect the gratefulness she felt for everything the elder woman had done for her.

"You know you are more than welcome, my dear." She paused a little as she didn't know how to communicate her next request, but decided for the bold way in the end. "I'd like you and Lilly to stay here at the manor, at least for the holidays."

At that Hermione sat up and faced her mentor. "Oh Minerva, that is very kind of you, but I can't possibly…"

"Of course you can," Minerva stopped the speech she knew she would hear from the young mother. "Please humor me, Hermione. I know I will enjoy yours and Lilly's company and if I can have an eye on both of you at the same time, it doesn't hurt either." She looked into Hermione's hazel eyes and just when she detected the glimpse of resistance, she added, "Please. Do it for me."

How could Hermione refuse an offer that she longed to accept with all of her heart? It wasn't fair to burden Minerva with her problems. The rebuilding of Hogwarts, the first improvised year of teaching Transfiguration as well as being the Headmistress along with the injuries that obviously still bothered her, had taken its toll on the proud witch. No matter how good she tried to hide it from everyone, Hermione had learned to read her better than anyone at Hogwarts, except probably Albus Dumbledore. Minerva McGonagall desperately needed the holidays to get her strength, physically and mentally, back, and whether she liked it or not, she needed the time to heal.

A tentative touch on her arm brought Hermione out of her musings.

"Please." Minerva repeated gently.

And if she accomplished nothing else in her life, she would make sure Minerva took some time to heal and relax.

"Alright," she whispered. "If that's what you want, we will stay, but please promise me that you will tell me when it gets too much for you. It is your holiday after all."

"I promise," the elder woman reassured, satisfied that Hermione and Lilly wouldn't escape her watchful eye. "Let's go and tell Lilly. I'm sure she will be hungry soon."

Hermione nodded and stood, holing her hand out for Minerva to take. She could imagine that their position, while comfortable for her, did nothing for the woman's hurting hip. The way Minerva's face contracted with pain confirmed her suspicion.

Of course, the elder woman didn't utter a single word about her discomfort when they slowly made their way back to the illuminated house. She took Minerva's arm, hoping that her friend would think it was for her comfort. If there was one thing Minerva McGonagall detested it was being patronized.

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><p><em>You can all thank my wonderful beta for reading this chapter right away, so that I could give it to you. lol I hope you enjoyed it! <em>


	5. Chapter 5

Reaching the terrace, Hermione smiled at the scene she saw. The sun was just setting and Dilly was reading a book, absentmindedly rocking the cradle. Never before had she seen an Elf read and she chastised herself for finding herself surprised. There was absolutely no reason a House Elf shouldn't read.

"Did she behave?" Hermione asked in a sotto voce voice as she looked at her daughter.

"Oh yes," the small creature confirmed, smiling happily. "She's an angel."

As if on cue Lilly started crying, earning a laugh from her mother. It was typical. She was sleeping peacefully and as soon as her mother was there she started crying. Somehow it didn't scare Hermione anymore as it used to be when she was alone. She even felt calm, albeit a little exhausted after her earlier breakdown.

Minerva bent down to take the wailing child. "There, there, my darling. You are hungry, hm?" She swayed a little to soothe the baby in her arms. "Dilly, could you heat up a bottle for our little darling?"

Hermione silently sat down, hoping that Minerva would want to feed Lilly. It wasn't that she didn't want to do it herself, but it was so rare and new to see the stern Headmistress with such a tender expression on her face that she longed to prolong the time she could witness it.

To Hermione's delight, Minerva seemed so absorbed in the care for the child that she didn't try to hand it to its mother. Instead she sat down and carefully fed Lilly with the warm bottle Dilly had brought. The whole picture was so adorable that Hermione wished she had a camera to freeze the moment. Knowing that any movement on her part would break this special moment, she tried to freeze the scene in her mind and create a memory she could always recall.

Minutes passed until Minerva looked up and saw Hermione smiling at her. "You are very good with her," Hermione praised.

The old woman smiled almost shyly and looked back at the now peaceful face of the little girl in her arms. "She is perfect," Minerva whispered, then slowly got up and laid the sleeping child into the cradle.

Hermione moved to stand next to her mentor. "That she is. I was so surprised when I held her for the first time. Somehow I was sure she would have red hair." She laughed at the memory. Ron wasn't so happy about the colour of her hair. He had even asked if the child was his, having no obvious prove. He had said it as a joke and everybody had laughed back then, but now Hermione wasn't sure if there hadn't been a bit of serious doubt in his comment.

Minerva briefly wondered if the Sorting Hat would still know what family Lilly was from without the signature hair. Eleven years… Who knew if she would still be Headmistress when Lilly was old enough to go to school? The past two years had left her exhausted and with little energy. It had been difficult to employ suitable teachers so soon after the war and she had found herself unable to employ just anyone to teach her beloved Transfiguration. In the end she taught Transfiguration herself and handled the additional work she had as a Headmistress during the late evenings and more than once during the night. No, she most certainly wouldn't make it another eleven years if she didn't reduce her workload soon. Sighing she reached for the red wine and held it up in front of Hermione. "Would you care for a nightcap?"

"Yes, that would be nice." Hermione pushed her glass a little forward and waited until it was filled. "Thank you." Savoring the rich taste, she leaned back in her chair and inhaled the fresh air of the early summer evening. For the first time she had a closer look at the beautiful wooden cradle that was ornate with what looked like old Celtic symbols.

"It is beautiful, isn't it?" Minerva asked, her look following Hermione's.

"Very much so. Did you…" Hermione started, but quickly stopped herself. The question was too personal. The last thing she wanted was to stir old memories of a child that once was. Hermione was pretty sure that she had known if Minerva had a child that was still alive.

The old woman smiled sadly. "No, I never had a child. This was my cradle when I was a baby." Hermione was glad that her mentor didn't have to go through losing a child and at the same time she felt sorry for Minerva. Seeing her with Lilly, she was sure that Minerva would have been a wonderful mother. She wondered why the cradle had been empty for such a long time, but she wouldn't ask.

Minerva could see in the young woman's eyes what she was thinking. She had always been able to read the young woman like a book and she was well aware that Hermione had somehow learned to read her better than most as well. She knew Hermione wouldn't ask and risk hurting her feelings. Thoughtfulness had always been one of the girl's endearing traits. There would be time to tell Hermione some more about herself, especially now that she would stay at the manor for a while, but not tonight.

They sat in silence, watching the sunset, each of them lost in their own thoughts. Just when Hermione emptied her glass, Dilly appeared and whispered something into her Mistress' ear.

"Thank you, Dilly and sleep well," Minerva said and with a little bow the Elf was gone before Hermione could utter a word of goodbye.

Seeing Hermione's confused look, an amused smile crept over the older witch's lips. Hermione hated not knowing something, hence her willingness to learn. Memories of the eager first year, Muggle born, but with more knowledge than every other pupil already, danced before her inner eyes. It had been a true pleasure to teach the little girl and watch her becoming the stunning young woman she now was.

"Dilly has just informed me that your rooms are ready," Minerva explained.

"I still don't think it fair to intrude on your holiday like that. I'm much better now, Minerva." Hermione looked positively uncomfortable, causing her mentor so much trouble.

The elder witch stood up and looked at Hermione in a way that reminded her of all the times they had stood in front of their professor's desk, hearing one of the countless lectures about breaking the rules. "Miss Granger, you are uselessly repeating yourself," Minerva said on her best professor tone and Hermione immediately stood up, then suddenly remembered that she wasn't a pupil anymore.

"I'm glad it still works," Minerva said, laughing at Hermione's reaction. "I sometimes think I've lost my touch."

"You? I can assure you that you can be just as intimidating as you've always been if you wish to," Hermione assured and put her hand on her mentor's forearm. "And I wouldn't have it any other way."

Minerva smiled one of her rare heartfelt smiles at her former pupil and briefly touched her hand. "Let's go to bed, shall we?"

"That sounds like a wonderful idea," Hermione agreed and walked over to the cradle to pick up her daughter, who, to Hermione's surprise, remained sleeping peacefully.

A muttered spell on Minerva's part sent the cradle up to the room that would be Lilly's bedroom for the time being and she lead the way through the house to the first floor.

"This is your room." The old witch pointed to the first door and moved on to the second door on that floor. "Lilly's room is set up in here and the next room is my bedroom. Both of our rooms are connected to Lilly's."

Minerva opened the old wooden door and lead them into the room that looked like it had always meant to be a nursery. The cradle Minerva had sent up already was standing in the center of the room, waiting for Lilly to lull her into a land of sweet dreams. A cozy armchair stood in front of the large window that would fill the room with sunlight tomorrow, welcoming a new day. The wall next to the armchair was lined with a bookshelf that was filled with stories of wondrous creatures and bravery and another shelf with puzzles, games and stuffed animals. The other wall was equipped with a wardrobe and a diaper-changing table. It looked like a little paradise for children. The thick carpet invited little feet to play and the light blue walls and dark blue ceiling with glowing golden stars to dream.

Hermione wondered if it had been Minerva's room once when she was a child as she put Lilly to bed. "This room is absolutely beautiful," she said and thought of the small and rather dark room Lilly had at their home. She had asked Ron a thousand times to help her decorate the room, but he didn't have time and with taking care of Lilly, Hermione didn't have enough energy left to do it alone.

"Yes, I used to stay in here when I was small. I kept it as it was, but well, it wasn't meant to be." She bent over the cradle and tenderly stroked the sleeping child's cheek. A sigh escaped her mouth and a small sad smile graced her tired features.

Hermione reached to touch the elder woman's arm. "Thank you for letting us stay," she said seriously. Minerva's smile lost its sadness as she covered Hermione's hand with her own.

"It is my pleasure." She lead the young mother to the door on the left. "This is my bedroom." She opened the door and allowed Hermione to look into the large room with its emerald walls and ornaments. "My door is always open to you if you need anything," Minerva invited and closed the door again. She turned and showed Hermione to her own room. The young witch smiled happily when she saw the Bordeaux colored walls with the golden ornaments that reminded her so much of Hogwarts.

"It is perfect," Hermione whispered.

Minerva smiled knowingly as she walked further into the room. Pointing to a door on the far end of the room she said, "The bathroom is through there. I asked Dilly to equip the bathroom with everything you need and you'll find a few clothes in the wardrobe until we have time to get your things. Do you need anything else?"

Hermione was touched at her mentor's thoughtfulness. "I have everything I need," she said and moved to stand in front of the elder woman. "Thank you so much."

Minerva smiled gently. "Good night, Hermione. Call me if you need anything."

"Good night, Minerva." There was a little pause when neither of them spoke or moved, then Hermione leaned in and shyly wrapped her arms around the woman who meant so much to her. To her surprise, Minerva tightly returned the hug.

"We'll get you through this, little one," she whispered into Hermione's hair, then pressed a small kiss onto her head and walked out before Hermione had the chance to utter a word.

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><p><em>As always, I thank my wonderful beta Bola and everyone who takes the time to review. I usually take the time to thank my reviewers, but I find it rather difficult now that one has to write a PM in order to thank reviewers. So please do know that I am really grateful for every review, even when I don't thank you personally anymore. I'm fliying to NZ on Frday for a month, so don't expect an update anytime soon... I'll try to get some writing done during the holiday though. <em>


	6. Chapter 6

Hermione awoke to an unusual sound coming for her daughter's room. She slowly stood up and silently walked to the door she had left ajar, peeking into the room. The only light came from the glowing stars on the ceiling and Hermione's eyes needed a moment to get used to the dark. Minerva was sitting in the armchair and tenderly cradled Lilly in her arms, softly singing a song to lull the infant back to sleep.

Leaning against the doorframe, Hermione observed the heartwarming scene and added a harmony to the old woman's song. '…and if I should become a stranger, you know that it would make me more than sad. Caledonia's been everything I've ever had.'

A little startled by the unexpected company, Minerva looked up, but finished her song. It had been more than six decades since she sang together with another person. Normally she would have stopped, not wanting anyone to see her exposed like this, but with Hermione she didn't feel the need to hide that part of her soul. "I didn't know you have such a lovely singing voice," she whispered as not to disturb the sleeping child.

"I could say the same," Hermione gave the compliment back. She had never heard her sing before and she doubted that anybody had in a very long time. Hermione felt truly privileged to hear the soft alto singing one of her favorite songs. "Can't sleep?" She asked, knowing that Lilly couldn't have woken Minerva. She would have heard her daughter's crying and she hadn't heard more than a faint whimper.

Minerva nodded and stood up to lay Lilly back into her cradle. For a second her face contracted with pain and Hermione remembered what she had wanted to do earlier.

"Your hip?" Hermione asked, already knowing the answer. It must be difficult to find a sleeping position when your hip hurt and Hermione was sure the word 'hurt' was an understatement. When Minerva McGonagall showed visible signs of hurting, she must be racked with pain.

"Just a bit of discomfort," Minerva said nonchalantly and Hermione almost laughed. It was so typical for the older woman to belittle her pain as if anybody would think lesser of her.

The young woman smiled gently when she ordered, "Try to lie down and I'll be there shortly and bring you something to soothe the pain."

Minerva looked surprised. "That's not necessary. I'm fine," she tried to argue, but it was useless. Hermione was already at the door.

"In case you thought that was a mere suggestion, you are mistaken. Go and lie down. I'll be there shortly." Hermione wasn't sure if it was very brave or very stupid to give orders to the stern Headmistress in her own home, but whatever it was, it was necessary. It wasn't her fault after all that the elder woman had to be forced to take better care of her body.

Minerva McGonagall was speechless as she watched Hermione leave the room. No one every dared to speak to her like that and if she was honest it was quite refreshing that Hermione didn't fear her wrath anymore. Realizing that it was ridiculous for her to just stay there openmouthed, staring into empty space, she cast a last loving glance at Lilly and slowly walked back to her bed, using the walls for support. It was unfortunate that her body started acting up now that she wasn't alone anymore.

Having reached her bed, she carefully sat down, wincing when a sharp pain shot up from her hip. She longed for a potion, but as she took one almost daily at Hogwarts, she had promised herself and Dilly to try and get by without them during the holidays. Now that Hermione was taking matters into her hands, it was unlikely that she could keep that promise.

Hermione silently entered the room, taking in the wrinkled face that was twisted with pain. As soon as she saw Hermione she put on a neutral expression. It was astonishing and worrying how she was able to conceal her feelings so well. Shaking her head, Hermione asked, "Which side is worse?"

"The left." She slightly leaned her head to the side, wondering what Hermione was planning to do. She had expected her to wake Dilly and come up with a potion, but that obviously wasn't the case. The only thing Hermione sat on the floor was a bucket with unknown but steaming content.

Hermione nodded her head contemplating her options. "Can you lay on your right side, please?" She asked after a little while, hoping that it wouldn't cause her mentor too much pain. Wanting to busy herself in order not to watch Minerva's face contract in pain, Hermione reached for the cover and lifted it for the elder woman.

Minerva shifted further onto the bed and carefully lifted her legs, setting her jaw when her hip pulled. She couldn't help the slight moan when she finally lay on her side. She felt acutely uncomfortable being so exposed to Hermione lying in her nighty on her bed. "Hermione…" she started, but the young woman stopped her.

"I know you are uncomfortable with this situation, but it's all right," she soothed the embarrassed witch. "I'll be quick." She pulled the cover up to give Minerva something to hold on to, avoiding the damaged hip. "Now the first thing we will do is putting a pillow between your knees. That will lessen the strain on your hip and knees." She summoned a medium sized pillow and looked a little helpless at her mentor. She couldn't spread her former teacher's knees after all.

The elder witch nodded sharply and removed the cover, then made room for the pillow between her knees and waited for Hermione to proceed. Taking her cue, Hermione carefully adjusted the soft cushion.

Minerva was pleasantly surprised that the new position did indeed ease the pain and was disappointed with herself for not having tried something so simple before. It was so typical for magical folk to assume potions and spells were vital for any kind of recovery or comfort. It was one of Hermione's great advantages to be able to combine the knowledge of her Muggle heritage with everything she had learned in the Wizarding world. Her education was much more well rounded than most of the magical folk would assume. Not for the first time Minerva felt what an enrichment Hermione was to her life.

"There now," Hermione stated, pulling the cover a little higher, "does that feel a little better?"

"Yes, it does," Minerva agreed, wondering what her young friend would do next.

"Very well. Surely you wouldn't want to take too many potions, so we will try something Muggle," Hermione explained, missing the caught look on Minerva's face. The elder woman wondered if Dilly had told Hermione about her intake of potions, but dismissed the thought as soon as it had crossed her mind. Dilly would never betray her trust. Slightly shaking her head she tried to focus on her friend's explanation.

"What will help you in the long run is to apply moist heat to your hip. When we go and get my things I will bring a Muggle cream as well. All that will not stop the…" she paused and chose the term Minerva had used earlier, delivering it with a small smile, "_discomfort_ immediately, but it will help to ease the pain more permanently. We have to repeat applying the heat pack and the cream a few times a day over the period of a few weeks though."

While Minerva tried to process all the information, Hermione already reached for the towel that was soaking in the steaming hot water. "I'm going to put it on your hip now."

The simple request provided an obstacle Minerva didn't foresee and at the moment she was at a loss how to solve it. She couldn't put a wet towel on her nighty and she definitely couldn't allow Hermione to view very private parts of her body either.

Noticing her older friend's predicament Hermione put the towel back into the water. "Hang on, I know how we do it," Hermione tried to assure the elder woman and moved over to the bed. She took the cover and pulled it over Minerva's legs and up her front. Then she reached behind the older woman and pulled the cover that was neatly folded on the other side of the double bed over her friend's body, only leaving the hip uncovered. "How is that?" Hermione asked gently, knowing that the situation was highly unpleasant for the private woman. "This way I will only see your hip for a short moment when I apply the heat pack." She knelt down in front of Minerva and tentatively covered her bony hand, trying to reassure her.

It took a while until the elder witch squeezed Hermione's hand a little. "All right," she whispered and closed her eyes as if she could hide from the reality of the quite embarrassing situation. She wished she had the heart to tell Hermione to go to bed, but she knew Hermione wouldn't go and she didn't want to hurt the feelings of her caring friend.

Out of pure instinct, Hermione reached up with her left hand and stroked a strand of graying hair from Minerva's forehead and pressed a soft kiss on her head. Then she walked back to get the heating pack and gently pushed the fabric of her friends nighty up until she was able to carefully place the hot towel on the aching hip. "Is it too hot?" She asked, not wanting to hurt the woman.

"No, it's not." She took a deep breath and sighed contently. "It feels pleasant."

Satisfied with her work, Hermione fixed the towel's position with a muttered spell so that it wouldn't slide off her hip during the night and carefully pulled the blanket that Minerva held firmly to her front over her whole body until she was decently covered. "There you go. Are you more comfortable now or can I get you anything else?"

"No, thank you. I'm fine. I think I can sleep now." It wasn't a lie. Her hip still hurt, but it was much more bearable now and the welcome unconsciousness of sleep was beginning to engulf her.

Hermione smiled almost tenderly at her friend and nodded her understanding. "Sleep well," she whispered and moved to leave the room when she felt a grip on her wrist. She stopped and looked at the half asleep woman in bed.

"I…Thank you, darling," Minerva whispered and let her thumb run over the inside of Hermione's wrist. It was rare that someone just genuinely cared about her and treated her with so much heartfelt affection. She still struggled to get used to this new dimension in her life and already dreaded the day her girls would leave again.

Hermione saw the unguarded emotions running through her friend and bent down again to place another little kiss on Minerva's forehead. "That's what friends are for, my dear," she assured softly and squeezed the elder woman's hand again. "Sleep well now and if you can't, don't hesitate to wake me up." She gazed lovingly at her mentor and silently left the room, whispering "nox" on her way out. Minerva was already asleep.

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><p>A little treat for all the lovely people who left reviews :)<p> 


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione awoke to a soft gurgling sound coming from her daughter's room. She stood with a yawn and reached for her nightgown to keep her warm. Quietly she walked into the next room to take Lilly, noticing that she didn't feel as exhausted as she usually would in the mornings. She felt almost rested after all the sleep she had gotten during the night.

Lilly was obviously in a good mood this morning, floundering happily in her cradle when her mum stepped closer to pick her up.

"Good morning, my little darling," Hermione whispered into her daughter's ear and tenderly kissed the soft cheek. Cradling the infant against her chest, she walked over to the window and looked at the vast grounds of McGonagall Manor. She was half surprised to be really in the home of her trusted mentor. Everything had seemed to happen in such a blur yesterday that it could have easily been a dream.

Hermione felt Lilly getting a little fussy and quickly walked through her room, heading for the kitchen. She didn't know if Minerva was already awake. She suspected it, but she wasn't sure, and she didn't want to take the chance, especially now that she knew that her mentor's hip was bothering her more than she let on.

Lilly was about to make unequivocally clear that she was hungry now when Hermione entered the kitchen with her.

"Good morning, Miss Hermione," Dilly greeted and moved to the cupboard where she had stored their little guest's bottles and started to prepare breakfast for Lilly.

"Good morning, Dilly," Hermione replied, rocking the now screaming baby in her arms. It was amazing how loud such a tiny voice could be.

Dilly giggled when she brought the warm bottle. "She has a lovely voice," the kind Elf commented, looking quite pleased as she waited from Hermione to sit down on one of the four chairs placed around the round table in the center of the room.

The young mother shifted the baby in her arms and gratefully took the bottle from Dilly's long fingers and offered it to her daughter. The wailing was instantly replaced by a soft sucking sound, and Hermione breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank you, Dilly. Did you sleep well?"

"Oh yes, like a stone," the Elf assured and sat opposite of Hermione. "How did you sleep?"

The question brought a smile upon the young mother's face. It was the first time since she had given birth that she could answer positive. Not that anyone had asked her lately. "More than well, really. I didn't have to get up once," she said happily. "Is Minerva up, yet?"

Dilly shook her head. "It seems that she is still asleep." Her voice indicated that it was a situation that didn't arouse often.

"Is that unusual?" Hermione had always suspected Minerva to be an early riser, but if there was one thing about the woman that she could say with certainty was that she was full of surprises.

"Yes, normally her…" she stopped, realizing that she shouldn't talk about Minerva's health issues.

"Her hip," Hermione finished. "It was bothering her quite a bit yesterday night. I've managed to soothe the pain enough for her to fall asleep, but I want to bring some cream from…" The word home just wouldn't come over her lips, "the place where we lived."

"Did she take a potion?" It would be a shame if Minerva had taken one despite her promising to get by without it, but she couldn't bring herself to blame the elder witch for not wanting to tell her guest about their deal. It was surprising enough that Minerva had brought them here and had invited them to stay.

Hermione shook her head, unaware of Dilly's musings. "No, I've applied a heat pack and will continue to do so. I'm not a big fan of taking potions." She shifted Lilly in her arms, earning a slightly annoyed look from the still drinking infant.

Dilly, who had watched the scene closely, was amazed at how much the tiny human could express with her face already. She wondered if that was common, or if Hermione's baby was special, but looking at the child's mother, it was highly possible that Lilly was special. The young woman was unusually kind to her, treating her like an equal and not like a lesser slave. Despite her problems she radiated a warmth all around her that had even touched Minerva. The mere thought of Minerva having allowed her guest to try and ease her discomfort as much as possible, was a small miracle. Dilly couldn't believe her luck that Hermione hadn't opted for the easy and obvious action and simply given her a potion, but had thought about a more permanent way to help her mistress.

The soft chuckle coming from the object of Dilly's musings drew the Elf's attention back to the young woman. She raised her bushy eyebrow in question and sat a little straighter to get a better view on the baby.

"She has fallen asleep again with the bottle in her mouth. Sometimes she does remind me of her father," Hermione said, her eyes momentarily filling with sadness at the thought of her destroyed marriage.

"Oh Minerva used to do that all the time when she was a baby," Dilly tried to lighten the atmosphere. She stood and snapped her fingers, leaving Hermione a little confused as nothing happened. "The cradle is now ready for Lilly on the terrace. It is such a beautiful day. You really should have breakfast outside."

"Oh thank you very much. You've known Minerva as a child?" It was so hard to imagine the proud woman as a little girl, let alone as a baby. She must have been very cute with her emerald eyes and Hermione thought of how lucky Dilly was to see her so innocent and carefree. She doubted that there was another person alive, having seen a carefree Minerva McGonagall, and suddenly Hermione felt a longing in her heart to witness such a moment.

"Yes, I've known her since she was born. She turned out to be quite a mischief-maker." She shook her head, laughing as she remembered all the pranks Minerva had put her brother and sister through. It had been a happy childhood until one night during the first war had changed everything…

Hermione laughed softly and stood up to follow the Elf outside. "I know I should be shocked now, but I am not in the least. I've always suspected she silently praised Fred and George for their pranks when I was in school."

"The twins? Oh yes, she would. I do recall a story about a swamp they produced." Dilly took the blanket out of the cradle and waited for Hermione to lay Lilly down, then carefully covered the small body with the quilt Eleonora McGonagall had once made for her great-granddaughter Minerva.

The young woman tenderly stroked the fine hair on Lilly's head and turned to Dilly. "Can I help you with breakfast?"

The Elf smiled brightly, just having found proof that her earlier thoughts had been accurate. This woman was more than special. "I really do thank you very much, but I have my own way of getting things done, and it only takes longer when someone, especially Minerva, tries to help. Your kind offer is more than appreciated, though."

"Whatever suites you," Hermione said understandingly. "Just call me if you need a hand. I'd be glad to help."

"I will do that," Dilly assured."Would you like to eat alone or do you want me to wake Minerva?"

The young witch shook her head. "No, please don't. The sleep is good for her. I'll just have a cup of tea and wait with breakfast until she is awake."

Xxx

Minerva sighed deeply, but inaudible as she leaned against the doorframe that held the terrace door. The night had been much better than any other she'd had lately. In fact she couldn't even remember the last time she had slept that long, but climbing down the stairs remained challenging. Her pulling hip was bad enough, but having to get by without a potion, she felt how uncomfortably tense her back was because of her poor posture. To minimize the pain in the hip, she had started leaning slightly forwards to the right, especially when she had to use that bloody walking cane. Well, her great grandmother had said once that aging was a disgrace. Her words couldn't have been more truthful. Another deep sigh escaped her mouth, and this time Hermione, who had been staring into the distance, rocking the cradle with one hand and holding a cup of tea in the other, turned to look at her.

"Good morning, Minerva," she greeted, a smile upon her lips. She hadn't heard the woman approaching, but that wasn't very surprising. Minerva had always had the ability to walk stealthily, much to the dismay of many pupils. Hadn't it been for Harry's Cloak they would undoubtedly have been caught many times by her.

Minerva walked the few steps to the cradle, trying to hide her limping as well as she could. Hermione's slightly concerned look told her that her hopes of remaining undiscovered had been in vain. Much to Minerva's delight, Hermione, however, seemed to sense when a discussion about her mentor's health wouldn't take them anywhere and didn't comment. Instead she watched the elder woman reach into the cradle and tenderly stroke Lilly's head in greeting.

"Good morning to you as well. I'm sorry I've slept for so long. You should have eaten breakfast without me." The old woman sat carefully into the free chair opposite of Hermione.

"Every meal is more enjoyable with good company, and I didn't mind waiting at all," Hermione said and poured Minerva a cup of tea. "On the contrary; I've enjoyed the peace of this place. I still can't believe you are willing to share it with Lilly and me for a little while."

The elder witch nodded and reached for a bread roll, spreading Dilly's homemade strawberry jam on the halves. "Every place is more enjoyable with good company, and I don't mind sharing at all," she smirked and watched Hermione reach for a bread roll as well. She looked slightly more rested than yesterday, but still a little unhealthy and far too thin. With the warm sunlight shining on her bronze colored hair she looked undeniably beautiful, though.

Laughing, Hermione put her right hand over her heart and bowed slightly. "Touché, Professor," she said and watched Minerva grin. She had missed the easy flowing talks with her mentor and especially her spot on humor. Such a simple thing as a comfortable conversation over breakfast hadn't been possible with Ron, and Hermione wondered if there had been a time when Ron had loved her or if he had just done what everybody had expected. If she was quite honest with herself, she didn't even know anymore if she had ever loved him as a lover or if he had always been one of her best friends. It was painful to think that not even a friendship between them had lasted.

"He was a fool, Hermione," Minerva offered softly, having seen her friend's faraway look.

The young woman refocused on her mentor, looking slightly startled. "It is a little frightening that you can read me like this," she paused for a moment and looked thoughtfully into the cup of tea in her hand, "and it is strangely comforting that you can."

Minerva nodded in understanding. She had felt the same with Albus all those years ago, before he had gotten too involved in the war to take notice of anything else around him. "You are safe with me," she assured the woman she had known as a child. She had had years of training in studying Hermione, who had quite often escaped everybody's notice as the crowd had always mainly focused on Harry.

"I know," Hermione whispered truthfully and reached over to touch her mentor's hand. "I've always known." She allowed Minerva to cover her hand and give it a little squeeze, before she leant back in her chair with her cup between her hands.


	8. Chapter 8

"Are you ready?" Minerva gently touched Hermione's arm, knowing that her friend was nervous. They had Apparated in front of the house that used to be Hermione's home, and Minerva was slightly shocked at the sight of the neighborhood. It wasn't as nice and calm as Minerva had imagined it; with its tall, grey buildings and a sense of despair in the air that reflected the high rate of unemployment. It wasn't a comfortable place and certainly no area to raise little Lillian.

Seeing her mentor's look, Hermione smiled sadly. "Ron had chosen this place as a surprise for me, and I didn't have the heart to tell him that I hate it here. He enjoyed the industrial look of this place, and I thought I could do him the favour and stay for a year or two and then move into a nice little house with a garden for a future child to play in." She laughed humorlessly. "Well, it didn't quite work out that way."

It was typical for Hermione, wanting to please Ron, and Minerva knew it. The girl had always seemed bossy, ordering her friends around, and many people, even most of the professors, didn't really understand why the boys put up with her attitude. The truth was that Hermione had always tried to help and protect them in every possible way, even if that meant she had to push them into the right direction. In all her time at school it had never been about her own needs. Her very first priority hadn't been studying like everyone thought; no, it had been helping Harry and Ronald to stay alive. She had placed their wellbeing before hers and it seemed she never stopped.

"No, I'm afraid it didn't." Seeing the girl's guilty look she comfortingly squeezed her shoulder. "It wasn't your fault, Hermione." She knew Hermione still didn't entirely believe her, and she didn't expect her to – at least not anytime soon. Hindsight would solve that later. "Come now, my dear. Let's get it over with."

The young mother took a deep breath and nodded slowly, then lead the way into the home she wished she had.

Xxx

The sound of sniveling made Minerva conscious of the fact that she better had a look at Hermione, who was currently in the small living room, collecting her belongings. They had decided that Minerva would take care of Lilly's room and Hermione's clothing from the bedroom as it would be easy for the elder witch to identify the items that weren't Ronald's in that aspect. It had been a wise decision to split the work, not only to speed up the process, but for Minerva's comfort as well. It would have been impossible to keep a straight face, looking at the bleak furnishing and decoration of the place. There wasn't a thing in this flat that reflected Hermione's personality and slowly but surely Minerva understood how desperate the young woman had been when she had found her on the bench. She must have been horribly unhappy if she gave herself up like that.

Shaking her head, Minerva shrunk the last bag and glanced into Lillian's old bed where she had placed her earlier to have both hands free. Assured that the little girl was still sleeping soundly, Minerva quietly walked into the living room to see how Hermione was doing.

It was hard to see the once so lively and confident woman so crestfallen and desponded. She stood alone in the middle of the room in front of the pieces of her shattered marriage, muffling the sound of her sobs with her hands.

Minerva quickly walked over to her pained friend and gathered Hermione into her arms. They had had this kind of close contact for a few times now, but it never ceased to shock her how thin the girl had become.

"What if I'm making a mistake?" Hermione asked, desperately clinging to her mentor.

Minerva took both of the shaking woman's shoulders and gently pushed her back so that she could look at her properly. "Darling, look at me. Are you happy?" She asked seriously, already knowing the answer.

Hermione unhappily shook her head in a resigned way. "No. No, I'm not."

Tenderly brushing a brown curl that stuck to the girl's wet cheek behind her ear, Minerva reassured, "Then you're doing the right thing."

"But what about Lillian?" Hermione asked, slightly calmer knowing that the woman she trusted the most thought she did the right thing. "He is her father and it is so unfair that I take that kind of family life away from her," she argued and another onset of tears started rolling down her cheeks. "God, I'm so selfish."

"Oh Hermione, stop that," Minerva said with a little more force. "You are the least selfish person I have ever met, and you deserve to be happy."

"But Lilly…"

"…deserves the Hermione I've known as a mother and not this empty shell you've become." Minerva gently, but firmly guided Hermione to the sofa and sat her down. "Darling, look at me," she demanded and cupped the wet cheek with her hand, turning the younger woman's face tenderly towards her. "Don't allow yourself to become me." Seeing that Hermione was about to protest, Minerva moved the hand that was still resting against the young woman's face further down so that her thumb was sealing her lips. "Take your chance of happiness, because it may be that there won't be another one, and if that means to leave your unhappy marriage, then leave. You deserve better than that." There was a look in the old woman's eyes that held a sadness and amount of regret, telling of long lost love and chances.

Hermione tried to compose herself by taking deep calming breaths. Minerva was right; she couldn't stay here, not even for Lillian. This was the point of no return, and suddenly she felt calm and relaxed. Without looking, she reached for her friend's hand and gave it a small squeeze. "Let's go. Here is nothing left for me." She stood and shrunk the last few items she wanted to take with her.

Sometimes all it takes is someone you trust, a close friend, a family member or someone you consider family to make you see what you already feel. It was that bit or reassurance that Hermione had missed in her life since the relationship with her parents who decided to stay in Australia had become taxing at best. Hermione didn't blame them, but she still missed them. There had been no one to really talk to all this time until the war had ended. One could say she had had her husband, her friends like Harry and Ginny or even her new family and it would be true, but whom would you tell that you're unhappy in your marriage when your husband decided not to listen and your friends were his as well? Hermione loved her new family, but there was no doubt about it that it was first and foremost Ron's family. Maybe they would have listened, maybe they would have understood, but Hermione had never felt that she could truly and openly talk to them about things like that. Minerva McGonagall on the other hand had always been her refuge when things had been rough. Hermione had often tried to figure out why she picked the stern Deputy Headmistress as her confidant, but she still remained somewhat clueless. Many had said it was because they were so alike, but in truth, they weren't. They were both very intelligent and strong in a way, yes, but apart from that, Hermione had yet to see their alikeness. It was almost comical that people dared saying that when nobody really seemed to know Minerva. Albus Dumbledore probably had known her, but Hermione doubted that the proud witch had any close friends left after having fought in three wars. All the more was it a mystery to Hermione why Minerva had taken her in. She was sure it was more than pity, but she didn't see the whole picture yet.

Minerva smiled when Hermione jerked, obviously startled by the hand that the elder woman had placed on her arm. "Lost it thought?" she asked, smirking. She had the sleeping Lilly in her arm and a bag that had all of Hermione's belongings in it stood beside her.

Hermione shook her head in an attempt to clear it. "I'm sorry, Minerva. I was miles away."

The old witch slightly tilted her head, looking quite curious. "Mhm... What have you been thinking about?"

"You," Hermione answered, "…in a way."

A shake of her head showed clearly what Minerva thought about that. "Me? Oh dear, what an utter waste of time. Let's go home. I could do with a cup of tea."

Hermione nodded firmly and packed the last things she wanted to take into the bag beside her. "Yes, that sounds good. I'm finished here."


	9. Chapter 9

Hermione reached out and firmly gripped Minerva's arm, stopping her mid-stride.

"Please Minerva, sit down. I'll get the tea." Dilly was currently upstairs, taking Lilly to bed, and there was no way Hermione would allow her host to run around any longer.

Obviously Minerva had tried to hide it, but Hermione had noticed the way she had favored her right leg when standing, had seen the times her hands had found all kinds of furniture to hold on to when in passing, not to mention the increased limping.

"Hermione…" the stern witch started to protest, but Hermione was already heading for the door.

"Save your breath, I can't hear you anyway!" Hermione shouted from the kitchen. It was a little strange to enter Dilly's empire in the Elf's absence, but if she was going to stay here for a while, she better get used to it. Everything in the large country style kitchen was painstakingly organized, and it was no trouble at all finding everything she needed. She had a closer look at the vast collection of tea and reached for a herbal mix, hoping that it would have a calming effect. They both needed that after the day's tasks. The time the tea needed to infuse its flavor, was just enough to heat the grain pillow she had found on one of the kitchen chairs. A wet towel would have been better, but this would do for now.

Carefully balancing everything on one arm on her way back into the large, yet comfortable living room, Hermione reached that funny stage of a meta-level where she looked down upon herself and mentally shook her head. She was a witch for Merlin's sake! She could have just levitated everything!

Finally having managed to set the tea down without spilling it, she poured two cups and handed one to Minerva. "Here you go," she said, looking into tired green eyes. "Why don't you lie down for a while? I've heated a grain pillow for you."

Minerva accepted the tea and pondered the young woman's suggestion. She was exhausted, of course, and her hip was playing havoc by now. It was unheard of that Minerva McGonagall allowed someone to witness a moment of what she thought to be weakness, but now that she had invited Hermione and her adorable daughter into her home some kind of shared familiarity would be unavoidable.

She carefully sipped some more of the hot liquid and discarded her heavy outer robes as well as her boots. There was nothing worse than lying down fully dressed. It was uncomfortable and you got your robes all wrinkled. Absentmindedly, she enlarged the pillow and gingerly lay down. She was about to summon a throw, but Hermione had been quicker and gently placed the heated grain pillow on Minerva's aching hip, then tucked her in.

A low moan escaped the elder woman's mouth as the heat started soothing the pain. "Thank you, dear." She shifted a little to get more comfortable. "How are you now?" Minerva asked Hermione, from her position on the sofa. She wasn't able to see the young witch, but from the sound of the squeaking old armchair, she knew Hermione had settled back. She had always meant to replace the old furniture, but somehow she never had. Maybe it was because she could still see her family sitting there in her mind's eye on the cold, lonely nights when she longed for someone to care. A smile graced her lips when she thought of her beloved grandmother, who always used to knit in the very same chair Hermione occupied now. Not unlike now, little Minerva would read on this very sofa or listen to stories of her gran. The old woman would reach over from time to time and stroke her hair, back then when her world had been whole. It was unusual to place an armchair so close to a sofa, but Minerva had never had the heart to move it; not even an inch, afraid that she would lose her granny again somehow if she did.

Hermione quietly summoned the footstool from the other armchair nearer to the fire and conjured a blanket for herself. Despite the roaring fire, the chill that had settled in her bones today just wouldn't leave. "I'm better now, thank you. It is strange. I finally feel free but at the same time I'm so scared of the future. I mean… what if I made a mistake? I don't have a job, and what job could I get with Lilly? I don't even have a flat for us to live in." The conviction she had felt earlier seemed to disappear the more she thought about what she had done.

Minerva had expected this. Anyone who didn't doubt a decision like that would be a fool; and Hermione was no fool. There would be many ups and downs before she would accept that her life had changed in an irretrievable way. "Hermione, please don't worry about that," she tried to soothe. "I am absolutely certain that you've done the right thing, and everything else will follow. You are more than welcome to stay here for as long as you want. As for a job, I already have something in mind, but I'd rather not talk about it until I have had a chat with a few people." Minerva knew she sounded very cryptic, but she didn't want to make promises she couldn't keep. There was no doubt that she would find something suitable for the young witch, but she didn't want just any job for her. No, it had to be something special, something challenging. Something that suited Hermione's character.

Hermione sighed deeply. "Oh Minerva, I could never invade your privacy like that, let alone use you to get a job." It was so sweet that her old professor seemed to care about her like that. Minerva McGonagall somehow never gave the impression to care a lot about her pupils. Most Gryffindors – especially those who had been at Hogwarts the final year before the Battle – knew that it was just a mask, of course, but it was rare that the stern Headmistress really showed what lay beyond.

The next words left the older woman's mouth without too much of a thought. She normally wasn't so inviting, and she had long given up on the thought of sharing her home or life with someone, so the following words came as a bit of a surprise for herself as well. "I'm not sure you've noticed, but this house had been designed for a large family with a very active social life. As you know, I have neither, and although I enjoy the quiet after a term at Hogwarts, I wouldn't mind a bit of company. If all goes well, a job offer may announce itself soon. Nobody says you have to take it, but I'd really rather talk about that when the time is right."

Knowing that she was asking a lot of Hermione's inquisitive mind, she reached behind her, and Hermione took her hand between both of her own. It was difficult for the young woman to just let it go for now. She didn't know what to say, every possible thought being a question, so she placed a small kiss on top of the boney hand and kept holding it. "Why, Minerva?" she whispered.

"You've always been smart, Hermione. You'll figure it out."

There was a long silence between them, and after a while, the young witch felt the hand within her own getting heavy. "Minerva?"

Not receiving an answer, Hermione leaned forwards, and the sound of rhythmic snoring reached her ears. Minerva McGonagall had fallen asleep not only in a former pupil's presence, but with that pupil holding her hand. Hermione was sure that since she had accepted the older witch's help she had probably witnessed more special moments with the proud woman than anyone else, and she treasured this knowledge. Carefully she placed the delicate hand on the sofa beside the sleeping witch and unthinkingly reached out and let her fingers tenderly glide through the graying hair. It was a mystery to her why Minerva was so kind. Surely they'd had a special albeit professional relationship at school, but that had been years ago. So much had happened, and so much had changed since then and yet, she was once again in the private quarters of Professor McGonagall, drinking tea. Hermione leaned back into her chair and unseeingly stared through the window that allowed a view over the vast gardens and Scottish landscape in the back. Who knew what else would change in the future?

XXX

Hermione felt truly privileged to be able to watch Minerva sleep. She looked so peaceful, and the wrinkles that the years, especially the years of fighting, had nicked into the pale skin seemed to be less prominent. When was the last time that someone had been there to comfort her when she was sad? Had she ever had a family? There were so many questions left to ask and so many answers she'd probably never get.

A distinctive change in the older woman's breathing told Hermione that Minerva was slowly waking up. She had been asleep for almost two hours now, and the sun was slowly leaving their side of Mother Earth to chase the night away on the other half.

Dilly had started making dinner a few minutes ago and left Lilly in her mother's care. She had been a little fussy at first, but now she was sleeping soundly in Hermione's arms. Just a few days ago a scene like that had been unthinkable, and Hermione tried not to dwell too much on the thought of her failure as a mother. She still didn't quite know why she hadn't managed on her own and why it had been so easy for Minerva to turn her whole world upside down in such a short time. All she knew was that she would never be able to repay her old professor for everything she had done and still did.

"Penny for your thoughts," Minerva's sleepy voice interrupted Hermione's musings.

"Just a penny? I'm sure my thought are worth much more than that."

Minerva chuckled and pulled the blanket up a bit. It had become a little chilly in the room, and she would have to restock the fire soon. "Now that's the Hermione I've known." She was more than pleased to see the girl's spirit return.

It didn't go by unnoticed that Minerva seemed a bit cold, and Hermione left the comfort of her chair to take care of the slowly decreasing flames. "Will you take her for a moment?" she asked, standing beside the large sofa.

"Of course." The elder witch started to sit up, but Hermione had other ideas.

"Oh there is no need to get up. If you could just lift your blanket a wee bit?"

There was that typical questioning eyebrow that Hermione had seen so many times in her mentor's familiar features, but to Hermione's surprise she didn't voice any questions. Understanding finally dawned when Hermione carefully laid her daughter on Minerva's warm chest and covered them again. For a moment it looked like Lilly was going to wake up, but as soon as the old woman's arm lovingly enclosed her, she settled down again.

"That's it, my little darling. Stay asleep," Minerva whispered soothingly, her heart suddenly overflowing with love for the tiny person who seemed to trust her so unconditionally. It was entirely unexpected that one could feel so much love for someone in such a short time. She knew that she would give her life without the slightest bit of hesitation to protect Lilly from harm. A glance at Hermione's glowing face reminded her that she shouldn't be surprised at all, because she would do the same for Lillian's mother and would have done so if it had been necessary during the war, too.

Minerva felt much warmer now and she wasn't entirely sure if that was just because of the once again roaring fire.

* * *

><p><em>Thank you for all the lovely reviews! Sometimes I just don't have enough time to answer them all and I am really sorry for that. Holidays will start in a week and I hope to get some more writing done. My beta BOLA is my hero! Go and check her stories out!<em>


	10. Chapter 10

Minerva sighed deeply as she rubbed her tired eyes. She had wanted to work for just a little while to make sure there wouldn't be too much to sort out when term started again, but the little while had turned into long hours. She had encouraged Hermione to take Lilly out to enjoy the sunshine and had been forever grateful that Hermione hadn't asked her to join them, for she could not have refused the more than tempting offer. It was so very like Hermione to know that she needed to work for a while for her own peace of mind. Now it was late afternoon, and Minerva was exhausted and less than pleased that her plan to avoid any kind of work hadn't worked out. At least she had used the opportunity to send a letter to Filius, regarding a position for Hermione at Hogwarts. He would be delighted to hear that there was a possibility that Miss Granger would join the staff. He had always been a little disappointed that the bright girl hadn't been sorted into his own House to the point of accusing the Sorting Hat of a wrong decision.

A determined tapping on the window brought Minerva out of her musings and caused a small smile to appear on her lips. She hadn't thought Filius would be that quick to answer. Standing up, a Scottish curse that would have made her father proud echoed through the room when her hip reminded her quite clearly that she had been sitting too long in one position. One hand immediately reached to her burning joint while the other grabbed the old oak desk for support. The proud woman didn't allow herself much time to recover and slowly limped to the window, fighting her irritation when she discovered that even the owl looked concerned.

Sliding open the window, Minerva took the letter from the brown bird and watched it fly back to wherever it came from after having bowed its head in politeness. Turning the envelope and seeing the familiar handwriting, she sighed upon opening it and even deeper when she read the content. She had reckoned that it wouldn't be very long before she had to talk with her guest about that particular subject, but she had hoped that it wouldn't be that soon. Well, it couldn't be helped.

Slowly, the old woman limped back to the desk and reached for her quill and wrote a short answer.

"Dilly?" Rubbing her hip, Minerva decided that she wouldn't go all the way to her owls to get this letter sent.

The familiar sound of Apparition announced the Elf's arrival. "What can I help you with, Minerva?"

The old witch glanced at all the papers that still need to be dealt with and came up with quite a lot of things she could need help with, but decided to concentrate on the matters at hand. "Is Hermione back?"

"Yes, she just fed Lilly. They are both in the living room." Knowing the look on Minerva's face only too well, she asked, "Is something wrong?"

Minerva sealed the letter and shook her head. "Nothing we couldn't handle. Would you please make sure this letter will be delivered as soon as possible?"

Long fingers reached out to take the small envelope. "Of course. Is there anything else you need?"

Minerva smiled her thanks. What she'd do if she had to live without Dilly, she didn't know. "Thank you, Dilly, that will be all."

Xxx

It had been a lovely day so far. The bright sunshine had been so inviting that Hermione had had a hard time stopping herself from asking Minerva to come along as well. Sadly, Hermione knew that the older woman would not have been able to enjoy it properly while knowing how much work still needed to be done. Yes, there would have been enough time to do it another day, but if there was a person in this world who understood the need to work, it was Hermione. Sometimes it was a little unsettling that she understood the older woman so well. It seemed as if they'd known each other forever. Of course, they had known each other for quite a long time now, but although they might have been a little closer than teacher and pupils usually are, they still had that insurmountable professional distance between them that always had divided pupils and teachers.

Hermione smiled when she heard her mentor coming down the stairs and got up to get a cup for Minerva. She had worked for so long; she could do with a little rest. It didn't take long for the young woman to prepare a pot of Minerva's beloved ginger tea, but it was still a surprise that when she entered the living room again with the steaming hot tea, Minerva was still on the stairs. It took all of Hermione's willpower to stay where she was and not rush to Minerva's side to support her. Sighing she restocked the fire and pushed the two armchairs a little further to the warmth and conjured two foot stools just as the door opened.

"Good evening, Minerva," Hermione greeted the woman. "Come and sit. You look like you could do with a cup of tea." Hermione tried not to let her concern show when the elder witch slowly limped towards the fire.

"Good evening, Hermione." She carefully lowered herself into the chair and shifted a little until she was marginally more comfortable. With a grateful smile, she accepted the cup Hermione gave her. "Thank you, Hermione. You're a dear." She closed her eyes and inhaled the hot ginger smell, warming her fingers around the cup.

Hermione smiled at the endearment. "I do have my moments. Would you like the heating pillow for your hip?"

Her first impulse was to decline, but looking into Hermione's trusting eyes, she sighed softly. "Yes, that would be lovely."

Knowing all too well what Minerva had wanted to say in the first place she tried not to chuckle as she went to the kitchen. It was obvious that the proud witch made an effort, and Hermione was oddly touched that Minerva tried to be honest and open with her regarding her personal feelings. She knew it wasn't easy for a woman who had to keep control over her emotions for most of the time.

Minerva had her eyes closed when Hermione came back from the kitchen, but something told Hermione that she had something on her mind that she wanted to discuss. "Here you go," Hermione said and placed the pillow into the older woman's hands. She grabbed the blanket from the sofa while Minerva adjusted the additional heat so that it could do its work and draped it over the woman when she seemed comfortable.

"You are too good to me," Minerva said softly and watched Hermione get comfortable on the other armchair.

The young woman tugged her feet under her, earning a glare from Minerva for being so limber. "I'm just trying to make it easier for you."

The elder witch raised a questioning eyebrow. "Make what easier?"

"The discussion you are going to start." Hermione laughed at how caught Minerva looked. "I've known you not as good as some, but better than most. You look like something is on your mind, so out with it. You'll feel better afterwards."

Minerva huffed, only causing Hermione to giggle. "I keep underestimating your ability to read me better than anybody else. At least now that Albus is dead." She waited for a possible reply, but Hermione didn't offer one. It was time to get it over with.

"I've received a letter from Molly earlier." Minerva closely watched Hermione for any kind of reaction, but she didn't have to concentrate very hard to see her whole body tense. "She was at your flat every day since she received a letter from Ronald. She was worried that you and Lilly weren't home, because she hadn't heard from you in a while. She wanted to see how you were doing on your own."

Hermione started staring into the fire, contemplating the new information. How could she tell a woman who had raised seven children that she hadn't managed looking after just one?

"She asked me if I knew where you are, because she can't reach you," Minerva said calmly. She knew exactly where Hermione's thoughts were heading, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Why would she ask you?"

That was a question Minerva had asked herself as well, but she didn't really want to hear the answer. "I suppose she already asked Harry, and I am usually well informed."

Somehow Hermione doubted that that was the real reason, but just like Minerva, she didn't want to think about it right now. "I see. What did you tell her?"

Minerva took a deep breath, well knowing that the next bit of information wouldn't go down well with her young friend. "I've invited her for breakfast tomorrow."

Just like Minerva predicted, Hermione's eyes went wide."What? How could you…?"

"Hermione. Hermione, darling… calm down. I know you aren't looking forward to that talk, but I will be here. " Minerva could practically see the wall Hermione was building between them, and it filled her with unexpected pain.

"Please excuse me for a moment," Hermione said almost clinically and got up before Minerva had a chance to reply.

Minerva reached out to grab her young friend's arm, stopping her escape. She was simply too exhausted to play that game tonight. "Please don't leave now," she whispered, not looking up at Hermione. "I'm afraid I am in no state to go after you – not tonight."

The defeated tone of Minerva's voice caused the young woman's eyes to water. She knew she was being unfair, but fear and humiliation got the better of her. She wasn't ready to face Molly yet, but then again, she seriously doubted she would ever be ready for that talk.

Another soft, almost pleading, "Please stay," was Hermione's undoing. Slowly, she sank to the ground next to Minerva's armchair and let her forehead fall against the armrest. "I am so sorry," she whispered brokenly. "You've been nothing but kind and understanding, and I have no right to treat you like that. I…"

A wrinkled hand found its way to Hermione's head and carefully started stroking the soft brown hair. "Shh…it's alright, darling. I know you are not looking forward to that talk, but it is best to get it over with. Trust an old woman." It was a difficult lecture Albus had taught her such a long time ago that it felt like another lifetime. Sadly, problems had the tendency to get worse the longer you ignore them.

"You are not old," Hermione protested weakly, "but I do trust you. More than anyone else."

The old hand paused briefly at Hermione's statement. It was surprising to hear that confession as Minerva had always thought Harry would have been Hermione's refuge, but then again, Hermione didn't go to Harry for help. She was here now and not with Harry or any other friend. Obviously, Hermione hadn't come to her for help either, but she agreed to stay. It was true. Hermione trusted her and what was even more surprising, she trusted Hermione as well.

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><p><em>Opps, sorry! This is the right version! :<em>)


	11. Chapter 11

Minerva sighed, frustrated. The clock on the nightstand showed 2AM, and she hadn't had a single moment of sleep yet. She had known that Hermione wouldn't be happy with her decision to invite Molly for breakfast, but the young woman's reaction had been more drastic than she had predicted. It had taken Minerva the better part of the evening to calm her and even now, Minerva didn't feel comfortable to leave Hermione alone.

Another half an hour later, Minerva huffed and got up. She would check on Lilly and peek into Hermione's room. Yes, Minerva was sure she'd be able to sleep when she was reassured that Hermione was fine.

The floor was cold beneath her feet, but Minerva couldn't be bothered putting on socks or casting a heating spell. She was tired and would surely head back to bed in a few seconds, when she was certain that Hermione and Lilly were fine.

Carefully, she pushed the door to Lilly's room open. Minerva was glad she always left the door ajar, always afraid of not hearing when the baby needed her, because it didn't make a single sound when it gave way. Although it wasn't full moon, there was enough light to illuminate the room. For a moment Minerva stood in awe, watching Lilly's pale face glow in the silver moonlight. Pulled in by a magic far older than spells and wizards, Minerva stepped closer to the sleeping baby and let the back of her finger ghost over the girl's incredibly soft cheek. She was such a beautiful child.

Satisfied that her precious Lillian was safe and sound, the old woman moved on to the door on the other side of the room leading to Hermione's bedroom. Standing right in front of the door, Minerva's sensitive hearing picked up a sound. It was barely audible, but it was there. Silently, Minerva opened the door and stepped into the room. Her eyes, already adjusted to the darkness, soon found the curled up form of her young friend. The faint sound of crying reached Minerva's ears, causing her to sigh. She felt sorry for Hermione.

If Hermione had noticed her presence, she didn't show it . Minerva did the one thing she hadn't done since Hermione had been Petrified She walked over to the crying woman, sat on the bed and started stoking her hair. There was nothing left to say. They had discussed everything during the evening, but the fear of rejection from Molly and the realization of what she had done, was not to be healed in a reasonable discussion.

Hermione didn't seem to calm down under Minerva's administrations this time, and as the cold started creep up into the elder woman's joints, she pushed herself up, absentmindedly rubbing her hip, and rounded the bed. Hermione didn't turn around when Minerva slipped under the blanket and laid down.

"Come here, little one," Minerva invited. For a moment it seemed as if Hermione wouldn't react at all, but just as Minerva wanted to repeat her offer, Hermione turned around and buried her head into her mentor's shoulder.

"Minerva, I…"

"Hush, darling. Just sleep now." Gently, she pressed a kiss on Hermione's hair. "I've got you, Hermione."

Xxx

"Hermione," an unfamiliar voice called. "Hermione, it's time to wake up now."

Slowly, the young woman blinked her eyes open and was slightly startled when she looked into Dilly's large eyes. "Dilly?" Hermione quickly sat up, alarm written on her face. "Is something wrong? What is it? Lilly? Minerva?"

"They are both fine." The elderly Elf soothingly patted the distraught woman's leg. "Minerva just asked me to wake you up, because Molly is already here."

"Oh, yes, of course." A glance at the clock on the wall caused Hermione to gasp. "Why didn't she wake me sooner?"

"Minerva said you've had a bit of a rough night. She wanted to let you rest as long as possible. I've taken care of Lilly, and she is in the kitchen with me. Minerva and Molly are sitting on the terrace. They are waiting with breakfast until you are ready."

Hermione slowly nodded her understanding. "Thank you, Dilly."

Her voice sounded less than enthusiastic, and Dilly couldn't help but feel sorry for the girl. "Don't fret too much, Hermione. You've got Minerva on your side, and she can be very protective of the people she loves. She'll make sure everything will be alright." Long, boney fingers gently patted Hermione's leg. "Hurry now, child."

Hermione watched the Elf disappear and despite wishing from the bottom of her heart that she wouldn't have to face Molly, she smiled at the thought that Dilly had just called her 'child'. It had been a very long time someone called her that. She must remember to ask Minerva later how old Dilly actually was. Minerva. The thought of the elder woman brought back the words she'd just heard. _She can be very protective of the people she loves._ A few weeks, even a few days ago Hermione would have denied that her stern former professor felt anything other than respect for her, but last night left no room for any doubt that Minerva McGonagall deeply cared for her.

Xxx

Minerva took her cup of steaming tea and closed her eyes for a moment while drinking. She needed to calm herself. Half an hour of trying to talk some sense into Molly had left her with little patience. She had explained everything she knew, and although Molly hadn't shown any understanding for her son, she still had argued, wanting Hermione to give Ronald another chance. "Molly, you have to understand that your reaction will determine your further relationship with Hermione."

"Why did she come to you instead of her family?" Molly voiced the question that had been nagging at her. She knew that Hermione had always looked up to her former professor, but this was a family matter, and her daughter in law should have come to her.

Minerva sighed, knowing exactly what Molly was on about. "She didn't come to me. We accidentally met. Of course you are family, but first and foremost, you are Ronald's mother."

Molly sighed, not willing to give up quite yet. "Minerva, Lillian needs her father."

The old woman put the cup down with much more force than she had intended, spilling some of the tea on the table. "And Hermione needs a partner!"

" There has to be a way to…."

Taking a deep, calming breath, Minerva tried to modify her tone. It wouldn't do to shout at the Weasley matriarch. "Molly, Hermione has made her decision, and there is no way. That is exactly why Hermione didn't come to you. She knew you would try to fix what is beyond fixing."

"But Ron…"

"… has left his struggling wife without a word. Molly, for the very first time Hermione would have needed Ronald's support, and he abused her trust. You are Ronald's mother, and I am not asking you to stop loving your child. The question is: do you love Lillian and Hermione?"

Molly nodded without a moment of hesitation. There was no overseeing her son's stupidities – not anymore. She just… She would have liked to keep them together, but in the end Molly deep down knew the choice wasn't hers. "Of course, I do. Minerva, I don't understand what's gotten into Ron to do something so stupid. Did he really think a woman like Hermione would still be there when he came home?"

Minerva sighed and smiled sadly at the poor woman sitting across. "Knowing Ronald, he probably didn't think at all."

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><p><em>I am really sorry you had to wait so long for an update, but you all know how life can be. Easter holidays will start on Friday and I hope to have a little more time to write. <em>

_Enjoy!_


	12. Chapter 12

Hermione took a deep, calming breath. It was ridiculous to feel this nervous. She was going to face her mother-in-law and not the Spanish Inquisition. For a moment, she wondered why the Spanish Inquisition had sprung to her mind when thinking of Molly, but refused to analyze that particular thought. She loved Molly. She was a good woman, a warmhearted mother and a wonderful mother-in-law and still, she was afraid of what Molly would say. Knowing the lively woman, she would probably try to save the marriage of her youngest son. What Hermione dreaded the most, was the moment when Molly would realize that her daughter-in-law wasn't interested in saving what was lost long ago.

She had half a mind of turning around and going back up, but Minerva had obviously seen her standing in the doorway. Green eyes locked with hers, and Hermione knew there was no turning back now.

"Good morning," Hermione greeted, hoping she didn't sound too pathetic.

Molly whirled around and stood to gather her daughter-in-law into her arms. "Hermione, how are you?"

The young woman was overwhelmed with both the sudden attention and the question. She stepped out of the embrace and smiled sadly. "I'm not great," she said and moved to sit beside Minerva. She didn't know how comfortable Minerva would be with the usual kiss on the cheek, now that they had an audience. Hefting her options, the young woman sat down and reached for Minerva's hand under the table. Hermione felt a gentle squeeze on her hand and shyly smiled at Minerva, who was about to pour her guest some more tea.

Now that their little gathering was complete, Dilly arrived with the food. It looked delicious, but Hermione was too nervous to even consider eating. The smell of bacon and eggs usually was a wonderful start into the day. Today, it only served to make Hermione feel sick.

Minerva watched her young friend out of the corner of her eyes. She looked downright sick, and if the slight trembling of the smooth hand in hers was any indicator, Hermione was more than nervous. The tension was growing so thick now that one could cut it with a knife, and it seemed that neither Molly not Hermione knew how to deal with the situation.

"I've explained to Molly what happened," Minerva said and was instantly rewarded with a grateful smile.

"Is it true then that Ronald left for Auror training without a word?" Of course, it was true. Minerva had told her earlier, and Molly had no reason to doubt either Minerva's sincerity or her son's ability to do something so incredibly foolish. She wished it to be otherwise, but no, there was no doubt that Ronald had destroyed what could have been the best thing in his life. The truth was there in Hermione's hazel eyes.

"Well, he did have quite a lot to say to me before he left, but no, he didn't tell me he would go on that assignment." Hermione reached for her cup, cradling it in her hands. It was a typical gesture for her. The solid warmth between her hands usually helped her calm, but today she instantly felt the loss of Minerva's supporting hand.

"So this is it then? You're not giving him another chance?" It was another question Molly already knew the answer to, but couldn't help but asking.

The question was enough for Hermione to set down her cup and search Minerva's hand under the table once more – she hoped Molly didn't notice. Her efforts were rewarded with an encouraging squeeze. "I wish I could. He…he isn't the man I fell in love with anymore, and I doubt that I am still the woman he wants at his side."

She had promised herself to be calm and rational about the situation, even more so now that Minerva had stressed how important it was for her further relationship with her daughter-in-law, but this was too much. Didn't Hermione know how much Ronald loved her? "How can you say that? He chose you."

The outburst earned her a glare from Minerva and a definite shake of her head from Hermione. "He chose the logical option, and I can't even blame him for that, because maybe I did the same. I have always loved him, of course, but now I don't even recognize him. He doesn't want me, Molly. He wants a good little housewife to care for him and raise his children." Tears were threatening to fall, but Hermione refused to give in.

Could it be true? Was it possible that Ronald did what he thought was being expected from him? Suddenly Molly wasn't sure anymore. A week ago she would have sworn by the life of her children that Ronald loved Hermione from the bottom of his heart, but now she allowed herself to question if that love was only meant to be between friends. She had always suspected that his love wasn't very passionate, but with the birth of Lillian… Lillian, her first grandchild. It broke Molly's heart that the sweet little girl should grow up without the loving family she deserved. "Hermione, you have to think of Lillian."

The young woman felt anger building up deep inside of her. "I constantly think of her! She is the main reason I was strong enough to leave. I don't want her to grow up in a sad and unhappy family. She doesn't deserve that."

Minerva soothingly squeezed her hand, trying to calm her friend somewhat.

"Hermione, we could have sorted your problems out," Molly tried again, not willing to give up just yet. Maybe if she had had a chance to talk with Ronald, he would have seen sense.

Hermione was clearly becoming agitated now. "There is no _we_, Molly. Ron and I have been no we for a long time now, and there is no use in pretending otherwise. I know you and Arthur care a great deal and would have tried to mend things, but Ron is a grown man! I am married to him and not to you." She paused for a moment, then added. "I was married to him."

Molly tiredly rubbed her eyes. "But you are part of my family," she said sadly. The whole situation was awful, but the thought that Hermione and Lilly might withdraw from her, pained her more than anything else. She had grown to love the bright girl like a daughter, and she refused to let her son's stupidity come between them. She had a beautiful grandchild after all, that needed her grandparents.

It was easy for Hermione to see the hurt in her mother-in-law's eyes. Molly could be a pain, but she was a very loving woman who cared deeply for her family and friends. "I know, Molly, and I will continue to be part of it for as long as you let me and of course, you will be able to see Lillian whenever you want."

Tears started gathering in Molly's eyes, and Hermione couldn't take it any longer. She got up and met Molly, who was doing the same, halfway in a fierce embrace. "I'm sorry, Molly."

The elder woman tightened her embrace. "I'm sorry, too. Ronald is a fool."


	13. Chapter 13

Hermione quietly entered the living room with two glasses of fine red wine, stopping for a moment to take in the sight of Minerva sitting in one of the large armchairs, totally engrossed in her lecture. That was one of the traits Hermione loved about the elder woman: the ability to totally focus on the matters at hand. If Minerva McGonagall decided to talk to you, to teach you or even lecture you, she would always give you her full attention. Most people would think of something else when they talked or even do something else. It was an unpleasant and disrespectful habit, but sadly Hermione could think of more than one occasion when she herself had done just that. Minerva was different. If she was with you, she really was with you. If she didn't care for you, she simply wouldn't talk to you, unless it was absolutely necessary. That was probably the reason she appeared to be so reserved. Hermione had thought so herself when she started Hogwarts, but in truth, the stern witch simply decided to give her full attention to a small amount of people and didn't care for the rest– or at least not more than strictly professional."

It wasn't surprising that Minerva didn't notice Hermione as the young woman walked up to stand behind her.

"Would you care for a glass of wine?" Hermione asked gently so as not to startle her reading friend.

"Yes, I'll ask Dilly…" she started, then turned her head to look at Hermione. "Oh, you've already got it."

"Yes, Dilly has been so nice to help me with the choice." She handed Minerva a glass and lowered herself in the other armchair. The fire cracked comfortingly, and Hermione closed her eyes and allowed herself to enjoy the warmth. A sense of belonging here engulfed her, and she quickly dismissed the thought. Minerva had been wonderful to her, but she knew that one day soon, she'd have to face her life again – or whatever there was left of it. An unexpected pain settled in her stomach, and brown eyes snapped open again, only to find clam, green ones regarding her carefully.

"Is Lilly asleep?"

"Yes, she fell asleep only seconds after I've put her to bed."

Minerva took a sip of her wine, savouring the full-bodied taste. "The day was very exciting and rather exhausting for all of us."

It was nice that Molly had stayed until afternoon tea to spend more time with Hermione and Lillian, but although it had been necessary to put Hermione at ease, Minerva wasn't used to the intrusion into her home. She was relieved when Molly finally left. What a strange thought that Hermione didn't feel like an intrusion at all. The young witch and her beautiful daughter seemed to belong here, and the idea that Hermione might want to leave, filled Minerva with unexpected pain. It would be such a pleasure to spend her time here with the intelligent, young witch and watch Lillian grow up.

"Are you all right?"

"Yes." Feeling a little caught, Minerva tried to look indifferent. "Why?"

"You seemed a bit lost in your thoughts there."

A gentle smile graced Minerva's lips. She tended to forget just how observant her young charge was. "Mhm, just the musings of an old woman."

Hermione snorted. "You are hardly old."

For a moment, Minerva watched her guest closely. She looked as if she really meant what she'd just said, but the elder witch soon dismissed this ridiculous thought. "And you are too kind. Now tell me how you are feeling. We didn't get much chance to talk today – not privately."

Slowly, Hermione twirled the dark, red liquid in her glass, before looking at her host. "I'm okay, I guess. It went much better than I thought."

Minerva nodded. "You realize that it isn't over, don't you?"

"Yes, I do," Hermione confirmed. "Thanks to you, it went much better than I had expected the talk to be, but I've known Molly for a long time now. It will all start again when Ron comes back." A humorless laugh escaped the young woman's throat. "That's another talk I don't want to have."

Minerva took a sip of her wine and sighed. "I would be lying if I told you that the near future will be easy. There will be many ups and downs before you reach a point where you'll be comfortable with your life again."

"You know what's funny?" Hermione moved the hand that was still holding the glass in the general direction of Minerva. "Right now, I'm feeling more comfortable with my life and myself than I have for longer than I care to remember." Having almost managed to spill the wine, Hermione put the glass on the table. "I can't thank you enough for everything you've done for us. Without you, I would have lost myself," Hermione whispered.

Minerva carefully put her glass down. "There comes a time in everyone's life when someone is needed to help picking up the pieces. I am glad that you gave me the chance to be there for you."

Big, brown eyes locked with wise green ones. "And you? Who has been there to pick up your pieces?"

A sad smile graced the elder woman's features as she stiffly got up. Staying in one position for too long was still ill-advised for her hip. Slowly, she walked towards the kitchen, stopping behind Hermione's armchair to place a gentle hand on the girl's shoulder. "Wait for a moment. I need to discuss something with you," she instructed and left the room.

Hermione remained silent. What was there to say? She hadn't really expected an answer, but the sad look on her friend's face told her more than words could have. Sighing, Hermione picked up her glass again and took a sip. If one thing was certain in her life, it was the fact that she'd make sure Minerva knew that she there for her. A wave of protectiveness towards the elder witch washed over Hermione and left her feeling more determined than ever to show Minerva how much she meant to her.

A tickle on the back of her neck alerted Hermione to Minerva's approach. Maybe it was from her days as a pupil that she sensed the teacher's presence, but then again, she never had sensed the other woman like this. How odd.

Minerva handed Hermione a white envelope, before sitting down again.

"What's that?" Hermione asked, unsure if she should open what was given to her.

"This arrived earlier today," Minerva explained calmly. "Read for yourself," she instructed and lowered herself gingerly into the armchair. Maybe Hermione would bring her the hot pack to ease the discomfort, but for now, the young woman had enough to take in.

Minerva watched Hermione closely while the young witch read the letter, waiting for any kind of facial motion that would betray what she was thinking. She didn't have to wait long until she saw chocolate brown eyes go wide with surprise. Some things would never change.

"You can't be serious," Hermione accused. It was absolutely not possible that Minerva was offering _that_ . She must be dreaming.

Minerva suppressed the urge to roll her eyes. As if she was known for being flighty. "As you have read, I am very serious, and so is Filius."

Hermione looked at the letter again. It was obviously no fake. Filius must have sent it today, and the content hadn't changed since she had read it the last time either. "Hogwarts! Minerva, I'm not a teacher! And how can I care for Lilly at Hogwarts?"

A gentle smile graced Minerva's lips. "You've always been a teacher, Hermione. I don't even want to think about what grades Mr. Potter and Mr. Weasley might have had, if you hadn't helped them. Of course, there might be one or two things I could teach you in order to prepare you, but all in all, I am very confident you'd make a wonderful teacher. As for Lillan, what better place is there to live for child than Hogwarts? Not to mention that the other teachers, Elves and first of all, myself would be delighted to watch her while you're in class."

Bewildered, Hermione shook her head. "I don't know what to say."

"I had hoped for a simple yes." Minerva was truly enjoying the situation. It was a rare treat to see Hermione so much in shock.

"How… I mean, why are you doing this for me?" Hermione asked, her voice filled with wonder.

"I am selfish, I presume. Hermione, to be quite honest, I've come to enjoy your company very much, and the thought of having to part with you and little Lillian isn't a pleasant one."

Later, Hermione would be able to tell what kind of impulse drove her to her next action.

Literally jumping from her seat, Hermione at once knelt in front of Minerva and pulled her into a fierce kiss. As if suddenly realizing what she was doing, she let go only seconds after, a horrified expression on her face. "Oh Merlin, I am so so sorry," she started, but Minerva would have none of it.

"Well, that was unexpected," Minerva said. Hermione wanted to withdraw, but the elder woman wouldn't allow it. Instead, she took Hermione's hand and placed a tender kiss on the back of it. She kept it firmly in hers as she fondly reached out and cupped the young woman's cheek. Her thumb lovingly traced Hermione's cheekbone. "Will you come with me to Hogwarts?"

Tears gathered in Hermione's eyes as she nodded. "Yes. Yes, I will go with you to Hogwarts." She paused and slightly turned her head and added softly, "or wherever else you want me to go."

A firm hand led Hermione's head back to where it was. Having no other option, Hermione shyly looked up into green, loving eyes. Wordlessly, Minerva leaned forward to kiss the younger woman's forehead and stood up, leading Hermione to something… well, new.

The end

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><p><em>Thank you all for your support and the lovely reviews. In two weeks I'll go on holiday for a month, so I won't be able to write much...<em>


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